Shattered Time Capsule

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Monty and Morella left the two on their own, and Michael smiled at the girl. "For wh- OH! Oh, right. Happy to do it, Liz." He chuckled, then picked her up with one arm, forming a seat with the forearm, and carried her to a bed. "Think you can stay awake long enough to get some food in you before you pass out?" The young man absently pushed smooth-burnt fingertips through Lizzy's hair, pushing it out of her face gently. "I think you need some food in you, more than just ice cream. You need something healthy."

He felt like he was babbling, but it was calming being by the girl, talking to her about her instead of himself, instead of how everything was falling apart. She was a sweet little thing, easy to talk to, fairly easy to understand and though she seemed simple-minded, he couldn't help but wonder if she was perhaps more intelligent, or capable of intelligence, than she let on. Something about her seemed... bigger than a human, despite her small size.
 
Lizzy caught his fingers and examined them curiously, her head tilted like a little bird's. Her lips curled in a smile and she hummed a bit. "Hm, maybe," she answered, rubbing the smooth skin with her own fingertips, fascinated with the strangeness of their texture. Her emerald green eyes were intently focused, even on such a small thing. That in and of itself was a sign of intelligence.

"Hm, little bit hungry," she said with another yawn, blinking her silver-tipped lashes slowly. She smiled at Michael. "Michael, are you lonely?" she asked suddenly.
 
Michael let her explore his hand and smiled as he watched her. She agreed to eat, and she was inquisitive. That was good.

However, her sudden question brought distance to his eyes for several moments before he blinked and refocused. He remained quiet for several long moments. "Not this moment, but sometimes." He didn't want to lie to her, and to disrespect the people who had disappeared and died and left him alone seemed unforgivable. "Why do you ask?" He regretted the question the moment it came out, but made no effort to try and take it back or tell her not to mind it.

He did want to know, after all. The slight and permanent-seeming scowl to his eyebrows lessened as he smiled once more at her., hopeful her answer might not be too...

What was the word?

Embarrassing.

One corner of his lips twitched slightly as he felt a small lump of shame form in his gut. Had he really just thought it was embarrassing to miss his family? The people who raised him? If not for his promise to his great-aunt, he would have wanted to throw himself off an edge.
 
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Lizzy blinked back at him with those brilliant emerald eyes, which seemed to see through everything, shining like gems. Her small hand reached up to poke his cheek a bit, and she tilted her head to the side again, silver hair falling from its place behind her ear. "Because you look like you're missing someone," she answered simply, as though it was the most perfectly obvious thing in the world.

A child, a sage, a wonder. An innocent with an old, old soul. She smiled at him warmly, brightly, without guile or judgement. "Who?"
 
He shouldn't have asked. For a kid he just pulled out of a stasis tube, she was far, far too knowledgeable about reading expressions. Still, he imagined a lack of answer would bring the question back later. A little pain now might mean less later. He closed his eyes, then pulled up a seat and leaned forward against her bed. He crossed his arms atop the mattress beside her, then tilted his head so he could rested it on those arms and look up at the girl.

"The short answer is everyone. The long answer is there was a war a long time ago, and it destroyed everything. Some stuff is still left, but it's falling apart." He almost added a sarcastically joyful 'and us with it', but restrained himself. It was implied. It didn't need to be said. Everyone was dying, and restoration of the multiverse was impossible unless by some miracle a certain individual gained massive power: power more massive than every star in every galaxy in every universe of the multiverse.

He didn't disbelieve in the possibility, but he didn't know how it might be possible. Last time he'd seen that person, she'd been too weak to walk on her own.

Michael closed his eyes for a moment. "My dad died in the war. So did my grandparents on his side. My mom raised me with others from the army my dad was part of until she died. More and more of the people who raised me died, too, and then the people in teal did something terrible. I went to find the leader because the others said she could fix things, but the whole ordeal caused her so much pain she went mad. When I woke up, I was completely alone."

It was... heavily abridged. He left out explanations that didn't need telling, and he left out names. He left out who each person was and why there was a war, and he kept to himself what had to be done to make everything start back over.

From the hallway, he heard a shout: Ziggy's voice. "Monty! Code Yellow on the Fore!" A moment later, crackling speakers in every room echoed Ziggy's exclamation.

After several moments, Monty came back through only one speaker: the one nearest Ziggy. "On it. Keep everyone in their rooms. Morella is bringing up food for Michael and Lizzy. Let her pass, and she can stay in their room with them until things are done."

"Yes, Monty." Ziggy's voice didn't echo through every room this time, but Michael could hear her quiet sigh down the hall.

What a crazy lucky random happenstance. Now, they had an interruption! Michael lifted his head. "Sounds like something interesting is happening. Do you know what code yellow on the fore means?" He didn't, but... it was better than talking about the dead.
 
Lizzy had been about to ask about the world falling apart, if it was like what she had seen before, when the intercom crackled to life. She yelped, grabbing Michael's arm and clinging to him tightly with her eyes squeezed shut as she shouted "No!" She was immediately terrified, and the way her slender form curled into him showed that.

The last time she had heard the word 'code,' an alarm had gone off, she had been hurried to the stasis room and put to sleep, and when she woke up everything familiar was gone. She didn't want that to happen again. She shook her head fiercely in response to Michael's question, as well as in denial of her fear.
 
The scent of terror on the girl was unmistakable. Michael lifted himself and as Lizzy grabbed his arm, he wound his arms tight about her and held her face to his chest. "Shh, shh, you're safe," he murmured. "You're safe. I've got you. I'll keep you safe." He spoke quickly, but quietly. His voice remained gentle as he pulled her from the tall bed and down onto his lap as he sat back down in the chair.

Blond brows narrowed as Michael looked toward the door. Yellow was typically used to indicate potential dangers rather than the certain danger of red, or it could be used to indicate hazardous chemicals and materials, like stuff that exploded or caused sickness. Sometimes it indicated help was needed.

Either way, he'd overheard mention of keeping everyone in their rooms. "It's ok. I'll keep you safe." The man gently stroked her hair as he watched the door over the top of the bed, then wrapped one side of his jacket around the girl.
 
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Lizzy somewhat reluctantly let go of his arm, gripping his shirt instead. She curled into him like a frightened kitten, nuzzling his chest and giving a soft sigh when he stroked her hair. The gentle touch helped her to relax a little bit, but she was still uneasy. Michael might notice, out of the corner of his eye, that her little tree was swaying slightly back and forth in its pot, despite the lack of any kind of wind or touch that might have made it do so, as though responding to the girl's distress.
 
Michael continued to stroke the girl's hair. He could hear footsteps outside: Morella's. She entered with a rolling cart piled high. His stomach snarled at the sight, and he licked his lips, eyes locked on the cart before he looked back down at the girl in his arms. "Hey Liz, Morella brought food. Are you hungry?"

Morella smiled at the two and closed the door behind her. "Since we're stuck in here a bit, I brought some for me, too." She looked at the cart, then back towards the pair. "I probably brought too much, but you two are too skinny, anyway!"

Michael blinked at the skinny-looking redhead and raised an eyebrow.

That redhead paused as she noticed something behind Michael, and the man looked back to see the tree moving. "Hey Liz, your green friend is dancing. Maybe trying to cheer you up?"
 
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Lizzy peeked up from the shelter of his arms and blinked up at the other, giving a small nod. "Yes please," she said softly. She looked over at Morella and smiled a bit at the skinny comment, lifting her arm to examine it curiously with a tilt of her head. She then looked up again and over to the little tree, giving a giggle. It really was dancing. Plants around her- to others- seemed to behave oddly, but to her it was normal for them to be as alive and active as she was. "Thank you," she told it warmly. The plant seemed to bob once more before going still again.

She then turned her attention to the tray, looking over the selection of food curiously so she could see what there was.
 
The wheeled cart held several covered dishes on two levels, plus a trio of plates and a pack of water bottles on the bottom shelf. Morella set up the round table in the room with three places, then pushed the tray up beside one place and began to spread the dishes around, unlidding them as she did.

Michael approached with Lizzy in his arms to watch, curious. A plate of steaks, a bowl of baked fruit, some steamed veggies, fish, chicken, burritos... With each new dish unveiled, Michael's gaze grew ever more hungry, and his stomach snarled as he restrained himself from falling onto the table and stuffing every bite into his own mouth. He wasn't alone here, and honestly? He still had some dignity!

He paused as he noticed the vegetables and fruits, then shot a concerned glance toward Lizzy. She was close with plants in ways he didn't understand: did that mean she didn't like the idea of them being eaten? Would she object? What would they do, if that were the case?

Gently, the man set Lizzy down in a seat at the table, then sat beside her.

Morella took the seat on Lizzy's other side. "What would you like?," she asked the girl.
 
Lizzy's little hand had already darted out to grab a couple pieces of the baked apple. She nibbled it contentedly, blinking at the woman with her big green eyes, for all the world looking like a tiny white mouse, tucked away in Michael's coat.

She continued to eat delicately, nibbling with tiny bites at the fruit and the vegetables, and a bit of bread, but she didn't touch any of the meats. Finally she sighed contentedly, seeming satisfied, and sat sipping quietly at a bottle of water.
 
Michael blinked in surprise as the girl eagerly ate the fruits and vegetables. It felt strange, almost like he was watching a cannibal, but... He assumed she knew her dietary needs, though the lack of meat concerned him as he plucked a steak with his fork and began to cut it. "Do you eat meat, Liz? Protein's important." He offered a small bite of meat on the end of his fork, the inside pink and glistening with juice. He used his knife to stab a piece of the steak from the plate and ate from that while Morella shot him a disapproving stare.

"Even though he's rude and eats with a knife, he has a point. Meat helps build fat and muscle." She nodded as she took some of the fish: a luxury in her old home. It flaked apart easily. "Fish is good, you might like it. It's easy to eat and doesn't taste like blood." Her smile towards the girl was warm and inviting as she offered a bite to Lizzy: just a few flakes of cooked, white flesh on the tip of her fork.
 
Lizzy eyed the meat that Michael offered doubtfully, and sniffed at it before shaking her head. It smelled nasty to her, and she had never been given anything like that at the lab. She sipped a bit more at her water before looking at Morella. "No thank you," she said softly, snuggling into Michael's side with a yawn. Now that she was full, she felt sleepy again.
 
"I guess it's common everywhere for kids not to like meat," Morella shook her head, then ate her fish as Michael nodded, then began to eat his steak.

Absently, one leather-clad arm wound around Lizzy, though Michael still had more he wanted to eat. He filled and cleared his plate four times before Morella's stare finally stopped him in the middle of his final bite.

"What?"

"Monty said you were a big eater. I thought he meant..." The woman trailed off, then shook her head with a half-smile, though her gaze remained uncertain.

Michael's cheeks reddened, and he looked away. "Hunters have... We have high metabolisms. I haven't had a proper meal in at least a year."

Green eyes stared at him, and Morella's freckled and dark face split into a grin. "Mm. Then eat more."

One of Michael's eyebrows lifted as he watched her.

"I won't say anything more." She spread her fingers as she shrugged. "Promise."

Michael grunted quietly, then finished his bite and pulled more helpings onto his plate, especially of the various meats.
 
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Lizzy soon dozed off against Michael, the arm around her and the sound of his heart soothing her to sleep. As she rested, it didn't take long for there to be a slight crackling sound below them.

Pushing up through the floor were strands of green, which stretched up to wind around the girl's legs, and budded small, brightly colored five-petal flowers. Their light, sweet scent filled the room.
 
Michael paused at the sound of cracking, and looked down. "Ah! Nonono!" He gently swatted the plants. "Nooo...!" Despite his panicked protests, he kept his voice quiet. Wide blue eyes stared in horror at the ruined floor: they were on the top storey! In a hospital! He couldn't help but wonder if SHE needed a pot more than her tiny tree friend.

They were gonna wreck the floor, and images of the two being tossed out danced through his mind as he struggled with trying to convince the little plants to go back to sleep or wherever they came from, that if they became seeds he'd plant them, just "Please, please fix the floor...!"
 
The vines tightened their grip on Lizzy protectively, who gave a small sound of protest at Michael's movement and burrowed further into his side, yawning. She had always been this way, and so didn't even really wake up when she felt the plants begin to cling to her. That was one of the reasons that the lab had been only one floor, and there had been a dirt floor in the room where she usually slept.
 
With a heavy sigh, Michael gave in: not anything he could do about it at the moment, but when next he spoke to Monty, he'd have to ask about a room on the first floor and a soil bed for the girl. He returned to his meal and when he was finished, the plates were entirely bare, and he felt fuller than he had in a long time. Absently, he stroked Lizzy's hair, then looked toward Morella. "Thanks for the food." He murmured, hopeful the image of being kicked out wouldn't come to pass. If it did, that would be a big problem: not because he was scared about being on the fragments, but because Lizzy was helpless and if he got killed or fell off, he couldn't know what would happen to her.

Would she suffer? Would she meet her end? Would she even know how to survive on her own?

Sobering thoughts.

Sobering thoughts thankfully interrupted by the sound of a turning doorknob. Monty poked his head in and looked around before his eyes landed on the group at the table, then sank down to the little plants.

"Don't worry about the floor. Ziggy can fix it. She do this a lot, though?"

"I assume?" Michael shrugged.

"No worries. We'll just put a dirt bed in." The old man shook his head. "That, or we can spread dirt on the roof and put out a tent for her, as long as these plants aren't going all the way through my hospital." His sloppy smirk showed playfulness, and he shrugged. "Anyway, you're free to roam now. The situation's dealt with. Ziggy thought she saw—" he cut off, then shook his head. "She thought she saw someone coming, but it was just a new patient. No big deal. If you see someone short wandering around though, just guide her to me or Ziggy."

With that, Monty cracked his neck, then yawned. "Busy busy day," he murmured.
 
Lizzy yawned a bit, legs pulling up towards her body as she nuzzled into Michael's side and his gently stroking hand. The plants released her legs in an obviously reluctant way, sinking back into the floor as her emerald eyes fluttered open. She gave a sleepy smile to Monty and echoed, "Busy busy day," agreeing with him. She played a little with Michael's shirt, eyelids still heavy. The chair wasn't the most comfortable place to sleep, which was why she had woken up so soon, but she didn't really want to move right now. "Is everything okay now?" she asked, words a bit elongated and separated in the middle by another yawn.
 
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