Rediscover

Eir 5

          Hours might have passed, or maybe just minutes. It was impossible to tell with the clock-less building and clouded sky. Eve eventually made her way back to the front of the lab, though it wasn't much better than waiting alone as Darcy had taken to reading the children's book before her and Erik continued to either pace before the windows or stare into the dim street. The only light down the street reflecting off of the muddy river that was once a dusty road. On the table sat three steaming mugs of coffee that Eve had prepared once she discovered the coffee machine still plugged in the kitchenette, one stroke of good luck in the series of unfortunate events. While the nurse didn't like the bitter taste of the drink, the warm mug in her hands was a huge comfort against the chilly breeze wrapping its way through the open windows. Darcy had wasted no time with comfort and instead downed half of the mug in one mouthful, clearly fighting the drowsiness dragging on her sagging eyes. She was in the middle of draining the rest of the liquid when a beam of light streamed through the windows, temporarily blinding everyone and making Darcy inhale her coffee and begin choking. Neither Erik nor Eve paid the intern any heed as she clutched at her throat. The light beam that had suddenly illuminated the room went out just as unexpectedly, plunging the world back into darkness. Eve blinked impatiently as a shadow opened the door and stepped out of the torrent, a puddle of water streaming onto the ground beneath her. Without really realizing what she was doing, or recalling how furious she was at her friend Eve was suddenly out of her seat, dodging over Darcy, and grabbing Jane into a tight hug. The older girl stumbled in shock before wrapping her arms around her best friend. Eve could feel her shivering through the unfamiliar water soaked jacket, though other than that she seemed uninjured.

          "I hate you so much!" Eve squeezed her closer before enunciating eat word with a slap to the shoulder. "What the heck do you think you were doing? Leaving us all here to panic?" She stepped back, arms crossed furiously.

          "I-I'm sorry, I know you probably all were really worried about me." Upon closer inspection Eve noticed the shadow in her friends usually bright gaze.

           "Well no one is worried about me thanks for asking!" Darcy had by then clambered up from her chair and sent an exhausted wave towards her boss. "Hey, where's your man?" She looked expectantly out the windows, as if expecting Thor to dive in through the glass. Jane's face paled in what Eve realized was guilt.

          "Jane, what happened?" Erik rested a hand on her shoulder, guiding her to an empty seat. Eve sped to the spare room in the back and tugged out a blanket from the closet. Back in the light of the desk light Jane had taken custody of Eve's still full coffee mug and was delicately sipping from it.

           "Okay," Eve stated after tossing her the blanket. "Spill." Jane had stopped shivering by then, but her face was still drawn with undisguised anxiety.

          "I went to the crater with Thor." Jane began, her eyes glazed as she seemed to transport back out into the rain storm.

          "Shocker." Darcy muttered into her now empty mug.

          "When we got there he snuck in, and made his way to the satellite--"

           "Snuck in? Snuck in where?" Erik leaned over the table, his eyes widening with worry. Jane chewed her lip guiltily.

          "The government group was there, the one who took all our stuff. They circled the crater with tents and guards... they took Thor." Eve's gut constricted.

           "Took him? Where?" She tried to ignore the image of Erik's terrified face when he described his friend that had gone missing. Jane shook her head mutely, eyes focused on the quickly cooling coffee before her.