Universal Displacement

Deserted and Determined

Sutton came back to consciousness retching. She was on her side, face in what felt like hot sand with her sickness sinking into the ground. It was hot. It was boiling. An attempt was made to groan, but all that escaped her was a thin, high-pitched whine. She didn't dare move yet. All her joints and limbs felt like she was still tearing herself apart with every tremble.

So, so hot.

When she opened her eyes it was unreasonably bright, an ungodly assault of sun rays and she snapped her eyes back closed. Another sad little noise escaped her. Her body was already sweating, she could feel her clothes beginning to stick to her skin, and she figured she'd been lying exposed and vulnerable for longer than she'd would have liked. Eventually, she attempted to lift her right arm. To her great relief it was whole. It was still painful to move, but it had died down to a level she could grit her teeth and get through. With much effort, Sutton pushed herself up and turned away from the mess she'd made in the sand. Because it was sand. It was all over her skin and in her clothes and on her tongue.

Her arms were still shuddering uncontrollably as they tried to support the weight she put on them. She decided not to try and stand quite yet. Sutton used the time recuperating to try and get her bearings. The realization just came to her still slow mind that she was in a desert.

"Wha-"

Her voice cracked and croaked as if she hadn't used it in a hundred years.

"Tony? Tony! Pepper! JARVIS? Hello?"

No one answered her calls. Sutton could feel her heart pick up speed as it raced down to her toes.

This was not the lab. The was not good.

She sighed in the back of her throat and tried to look up and guess about what time it was based of the sun and-

Sutton froze.

Her eyes widened to epic proportions and her fingers dug uselessly into the sand beneath her.

There were two suns. Two suns.

Her throat felt like it suddenly closed up on her and Sutton was left gaping. Oh no.

Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no.

With much effort, bones creaking and muscles crying out, Sutton managed to balance on two feet and took a better look around.

Nothing.

There was nothing around her save for sand and heat. There wasn't even any plant life, no cacti or desert grass, to account for.

"Where am I?"
It took her brain a bit longer, again, to come back from the fritz and after baking a bit more she finally realized one simple thing.

She could not stay here in this one spot.

She had to find shelter and water or she'd fry faster than an egg in a hot pan. Her gaze drifted up towards the spot in the sky where the two suns hung, but she forced herself to ignore it. She had to focus on life and death issues for the moment.

And who knew what sorts of creatures called this desert home.

As if to answer her thoughts, there was a sudden eruption of far off noise. Sutton couldn't be quite sure, but it almost sounded like an angry donkey. Several angry donkeys, actually. Except angry donkeys had never made her feel like she was about to pee her pants in terror. She turned in the opposite direction of the haunting sound and took off as fast as her body would allow her. No matter what, she needed to find civilization soon. Otherwise, it'd be death from dehydration or angry mystery animals. Neither one tickled her fancy.