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delicatebluebirdruins · 8 months

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Mia's nightmares

a/n some time working for the connections (going off the Kaitai Shinsho guide for it)

this is very self-indulgent, yes, the pictures where needed, yes, I wanted to touch on somethings but writing wise? I am rusty.

small playlist: You shine Carrie the musical; go tell aunt Rhody (both versions original and re7); I found amber run; someday and bullet proof by Godsmack (I wish I could have found acoustic versions); I’ll make it up to you by imagine dragons.

Information on how to handle missing people is really interesting and I included a bit of my research into this.

No beta reader we die like ethan must never die but a huge thank you. To @precambrian-sea-pancake for putting up with me through out all of this. I don’t have the words to describe how grateful I am for their help.

more notes in the tags

2010 March 1st Interview Day. When she went in, she was as prepared as she was going to be. The day was warm for March. The job was entry level with some traveling involved and some desk work. It would also be putting good in the world months of research told her that much... the interview went well and by the end of April she started work and for the few months she was on desk work, and it was normal. Routine. During that time fire drills were very rare and of course the outbreak drills were slightly fewer but still there and it startled them all every time. The implications behind it created a horrible combination of safety and terror that it could happen here in her place of work. After three of these outbreak drills it was decided that all desk workers got put into the combat training course for a few months after that was done, she and a few others were put into advanced combat. For the next few months, she could have sworn she was being followed but it’s a small world you're bound to run into people outside of professional (or educational) places, right? but she didn’t actually recognise the guy when she got a good look at him, it wasn’t from work she was sure of that much, but the recognition remains, and this just seemed to be deliberate...

date night few months later: she was always giddy to see Ethan and they'd been so busy of late. This time it was simple. A takeaway dinner from their favourite place and a walk in the park and they walked past the horse statue and sat next to the pond talking and keeping an eye on the bolder squirrels as they ate their food enjoying its warmth and, talking about everything and looking at the clouds shape. it was the most normal she felt in months. Neither noticed the people watching them.

2011 May after many more dates she and Ethan got married. it was joyful their friends and family there, the favourite photos of the shoot and the gift of the music box from Ethans grandmother was what made her cry. he told her about it how much it soothed him when he was younger and scared of the dark. throughout all of it they don't let go of each other’s hands. As the day slipped away the light flickered into gold and the last pictures of the day were done everyone went home and then so did, they.

2012 She was still being taught combat training and was improving with hand to hand, and her arms training was doing even better. As time went on, she was moved away from desk work and sent out and trained off site for a greater range of terrains like the beach at night (the running she had to do was killer) that specific trip took a few days to recover from. But it all meant she got stronger, and it meant less makeup and less bruises. less things to hide from Ethan (she didn't want to think of the times he grazed a bruise by accident, and she flinched. and how hurt he looked for it) considering the world she felt confident... it was only a matter of time till the next major outbreak shook the news. (And just as quickly the BSAA will take control and the information coming out will be cut off). As it was. The civil war in Edonia and rumors of something being used in combat situations. That fear was reflected on everyone she saw during those months.

Getting home and hearing the soft music playing put a smile on her face the first genuine one in months. approaching quietly, she dropped a kiss on Ethan's head as he played a song that she hadn't heard in a while. dimly remembering the lyrics, she sat next to him and sang softly "What a surprise, gazing into your eyes. I swear that I still get lost in the light. No photograph could possibly show. The you I know" and watched a smile grace his face as it always did when she joined him here, she was glad that he couldn't see her face as she remembered how that song and the story itself ended. Realising what was coming up she had an idea of what to get him.

As time went on her business trips were training of a different kind. She got sent with minimal warning (having to come up with a plausible reason for her leaving that got harder and harder) and a firm order of no personal items. So she also had to think of when to take off and stow her wedding ring she was already worried of losing it. The missions were always how to get items from a certain point to a specific destination unimportant things with different challenges thrown in to distract and horrify her. They did at first but then they didn't as much. On the occasions of people dying (both friend and enemy) her superiors always waved it off with fake blood and hired actors to play dead. That explanation worked for a while, but the nightmares and guilt remained. It wasn’t until she got told that she had completed the training and she was sent out on more serious missions. With real life and death stakes. That she had doubts about the first explanation during the training period there was no difference between the real and the faked. And she got better at seeing the potential pitfalls the traps and sometimes the violence turned her stomach, but she worked through it thinking she was working for the good guys. The trips put their own kind of strain on her relationship with Ethan because she couldn't tell him what she was transporting or anything else and seeing each other so rarely. They had more arguments then ever during this period.

Anniversary one (2012) she got Ethan a few sketchbooks as he was lamenting that he hadn’t had a chance to get any recently. It was simple but then so were they. Ethan had her grandfathers clock fixed. It was a big clock or particularly old but when she was a child she remembered Gappy winding it, remembered when the paint faded the time he spent taking care of it. Time and use had damaged it and it was not easily fixed. And she cried when she realised that she couldn’t fix it. So this meant so much to her.

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Jan 2014 was when she was approached and told she fit the criteria to be brought onto the E-000 project and the world shattered. Alan Droney (the director of the special operations division he introduced himself as) collected her and left outside the door. She went through the blood-soaked bed was out of place in the blinding white room she did not notice the black and the man crying in pain as he cradled what was left of his arm. and the child standing over him. and they all watched as the limb regrew and the sound of the sobbing and the horrible scratching of pen on paper as the stop watches they all had ticked on marking the time for this regrowth to take place, she knew these sights and sounds would follow her into sleep tonight.

snapping to attention as one of the researchers said her daughter was so powerful, wasn't she? the fanatical gleam was even more unsettling than the words somehow then the woman turned her attention turned and she approached the child. Eveline, they called her. they didn't say any names to the researchers they just referred to each other as elements on the periodic table (it felt more like an inside joke at times) the woman with the fanatical gleam was not called anything of the sort she was simply called Maică Superioară. Afterwards the researchers sat with and described what her role will be that the imprinting protocol will be started between her and Evie. With that bond Evie will trust her implicitly and listen to her the most. The pressure and the responsibility for it was immense. She would have an increase in pay. The display when she entered was part of a show. Put on to shock her. A small test for her mind. Another one when she thought about it. They mentioned briefly that there may be a time where she had to transport Evie but didn't elaborate and she wasn't given the chance to ask. Transporting a child, a bioweapon is hugely different then transporting old treasures. She hoped they would give her more training for that event. Listening to the sales pitch and thinking of all it will entail her thoughts cycled. This went from shadiness to beginning to descend into a cave from which there would be no leaving. She wasn’t sure of anything anymore like the companies’ goals anymore or their apparent desire to do good in the world.

She was lucky to get home when she did a week later as rifling through the post, she opened the plain envelope addressed to her and there were pictures of her and ethan in their house, on dates, with friends. the message was clear you are being watched and you know what will happen if he learns anything. Anything at all. She felt like an injured animal cornered by her own thoughts and his concern and love, so she walked out the door and he found her after a bit. the ticking got louder every time he asked what she was hiding from him every time he said she was lying to him... she was relieved at not having to answer as their phones rang but it wasn't over. it never was with Ethan, but he left it alone gave her space, but she could feel his eyes watching her and the feeling of being on a balancing beam that was getting more lopsided every second (she just did her best to avoid him for the next few months)

left to right: Manganese; Boron; Iridium.

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Coming back into work the next day the researchers mentioned the envelope repeating plainly to not tell anyone what she saw with Evie... she felt anxious more than she had ever been before here. There was no official paperwork to sign and there was a threat here. A threat that became all to, clear when weeks later and she and Evie were talking (all the while being watched) and being made to interact more and more when the child said, "you're nicer than the old one" and confused she looked down and the girl smiled and pointed at the wall of pictures the researchers put up (something you can see through the large window of Evie’s room) and in the middle one was of an older woman and Eveline moved her finger to another photo of a man and said that was her husband and then there was another photo of them being covered with mold. They were both turning into the monsters she was being trained to fight. the warning was clear. don't fuck this up.

Home time brought another ominous envelope feeling tense around her shoulders and neck she opened it and it was just bills. but the day was stressful and long and the tears spilled over and didn't stop until Ethan got home. he took in the situation and crouched in front of her gently taking the letter reading it and just understood it was the last straw of a long day. taking her hands and sitting next to her and just being for a bit. then they got supper ready simple and warming then went to bed.

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there were many times where she noticed how the researchers treated Evie. when she started Evie asked her many questions about her family (she mentioned bits but never any names) about the world at large she wondered why (it didn't last long) the other researchers treated her as a tool, to a certain extent Iridium and Manganese were the closest to treating her as a person, and she was never around for Evie's one on one conversations with Maică but knowing the woman she wished she was... Iridium had an ear worm and for weeks on repeat whistled the same song over and over again or worse sang it. Evie sometimes hummed (getting a smile from Iridium) along as well adding to the eeriness of the tune but she didn’t do it often. the lyrics she didn't think much of until they found her at sleep "go tell aunt Rhody old... gander is weeping because his wife is dead" always morphed into "when she’s done, he’ll be torn apart" when that happened, she always woke up always reached for Ethan before stopping as touching him would make him wake and she would have to come up with yet another lie.

She tried not to think how many have died at her own hands during the actual missions she was sent on and the people she heard die whilst she was learning about the d series (the screams and roars echoed) and what happened to them during the nights where that song was the accompaniment. Maică seemed to see her as a rival for Evie’s affections but during this training stage Mia and Evie hadn’t interacted a lot at all. And her looking in on the lessons especially about the ones that would neutralise Evie she always had a terrifying look on her face whenever she happened across these lessons. But the researchers insisted that these lessons were worst case scenario that Eveline was perfect. That there was hope for her looking at Eveline's stony expression Mia didn’t know what to say. The day after training she arrived and was going through the motions of arriving. Getting in putting her stuff in the locker assigned and wishing she had a lab coat as well because it was getting harder to explain to Ethan why she came home in different clothes that she left in. Exchanging a smile with Manganese they pushed through the door and heard the scream. A scream from Maică, and Maică was never anything but calm and distant. No one could think of a time where she had raised her voice let alone screamed. So, they all came running expecting carnage, but nothing was amiss, but Maică just seemed frustrated hugely so. Before anyone could ask anything, she knocked over a tray of syringes making them all jump and left. They didn't see her again for the next two days. Everything changed after that Maică was distant and angry and everyone who had to cross her path did so on eggshells and Evie just seemed hurt and wouldn't speak around anyone but Mia and even then, not like she used to.

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2014 Anniversary third: last years was missed entirely all money and effort were spent in mending their house that was damaged in a storm and they were just busy. But this year busy again but they did manage to get each other something needed as their originals were no longer salvageable Mia gave Ethan a new wallet and he gave her a travelling bag with little extras thrown in. His had a picture from their first date and an old penny that his mum found. It would seem silly to anyone else, but the coin is distinct and had a story behind it.

Home time was something dreaded especially on bad days with Evie. As the rates of accidental infections of the mold became unnervingly frequent. As it was not clear for her what the imprint would mean for her if she was infected... she dreaded bringing baggage home with her, she dreaded his eyes that watched her every move and the invisible axe over Ethan's head. She couldn't bear the sound of ticking now wondering how long it will be before this blew up. they started to bicker and argue. There were many times she felt the words explaining what her job entailed bubbling up and wanting to be shared with him to help them all. The threats were effective though and she felt she could deal with her problem as long as Ethan was safe. The dreams were getting worse. one night a bad one had Ethan screaming begging for something she couldn't hear, and she tried to get to him but couldn't. She was going through treacle and her hands felt sticky and wet looking down realising they were covered in blood. Ethan's blood. Waking she began to reach for Ethan but remembered the dream. She lay down again and turned away from him and waited for the morning.

She didn't want to sleep again that night. when she "woke up" Ethan had already left fixing herself a quick breakfast she noticed a piece of paper on the table and picked it and realised it was a doodle of the horse statue in the park seeing it inspired her. During her lunch break she went out and got a pad of paper and cheap colouring pencils after she smuggled those in once the days testing was done and she was certain they were not being watched. She sat with Evie, and they doodled together for the rest of the day. To start with Evie was content with just shapes and lines as any child would do but she got more confident and drew people as well. It was one of the most normal interactions Evie and Mia has ever had. After they were done Mia hid the pictures under Evie’s mattress and said goodbye to the girl. To Evie however this afternoon meant the world to her. The next few weeks after was terrible though. Manganese didn’t show up for work at all and the others seemed on edge. Mia was kept out of the loop as usual. Then one day he was brought into the lab handcuffed and bruised. Looking like he had been tortured. And shoved to the ground he faced his fate. As Maică and Boron told Evie to take control of him and she did. As they all watched he grabbed a knife and slashed himself repeatedly. All the while this was silent… Mia wanted to stop it, but she knew this mood. It had been all to frequent with Maică recently and her ire would turn on Mia herself if she said anything. It wasn’t until the next day when she heard the reasoning behind this display. He was merely suspected of giving secrets to the BSAA or someone else. They didn’t know for sure. They found something suspicious and jumped straight to executioner. It was something a long time coming.

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October 2014 you would think Maică announcing that was leaving soon would throw a spanner in everything but it stabilised things more than anything else. And considering recent events the loss of Manganese and Iridium being “fired” she felt nervous coming into work the next day. As she entered the head office area leading to the stairs Mia noticed boxes everywhere and people packing them up and moving. She was told that this part of the building was rented out to other businesses, so she thought nothing of it. Turns out they were all moving as Maică and Boron announced Evie would be moved under the care of her and Alan. they weren't told why or why there was only two of them she felt a little confident. She and Evie had a solid rapport, and she and Alan worked well together but still they’d not been in the field with just the two of them and a powerful child. If the powers that be weren't confident in her and especially Alan's (as her superior officer) abilities, they wouldn't be sent at all. Still the doubt and the dread remained. They were given a time and a place. They were to be given an envelope holding their specific orders that was not allowed to be opened until they got onto the tanker. the Annabelle... all she heard in her dreams that night was screaming.

Date night: she was nervous. Worried. She was going to tell Ethan she was leaving on a longer trip tonight and she’d noticed people following her on and off again. And she couldn’t tell who they were working for this time. She heard the rumors that the BSAA was investigating bioweapon manufacturing in the area. She had considered calling them. Many times. But anonymous or not Ethan would still be caught in the middle. Ethan would be in danger. And she couldn’t see it be more or less if she said nothing or something. Hands shaking as she applied makeup to dark circles, she considered Evie what would happen to her. Despite everything she cared for the girl. They were both monsters at this point (especially Mia herself isolating herself from her friends and to a lesser extent Ethan himself) and she wanted to scream at everyone that showed her kindness. She was not able to protect Evie from Maică and her cruel comments (she still did not know anything about the woman other than she used to see Evie as her daughter but there was more to it than that… there had to be).

Especially recent comments. Breathing in and out she finished off her makeup and wanted to get rid of the mask. All of them and a small hope that one day she could… She hoped when it came to it, she could help the BSAA and bring down the connections. Her help would be minimal she had a few names, few places but some knowledge is better than no knowledge… going that way was where madness lies. So, she put it in the overstuffed drawer of pain and horror and tried to ignore it… The café she was going to was nice and Ethan was handsome as ever. She felt like she hadn’t seen him for years so this was so nice. Especially when they left and shared headphones. Less nice was the first song that came on “Oh I'll use you as a warning sign. That if you talk enough sense, then you'll lose your mind.” The song felt very close to raw nerve endings. She was amazed that she didn’t recoil hearing that song. He took the news well as she told him on the way home and taking what felt like a risk told him a little about Evie and he was understandably very confused about the child she was also going to be looking after as well but she just told him it was her boss’s child, and the kid was going to a new boarding school in the same area as where her destination is (he was going to ask where that was but she cut him off. Taking him aback), and they didn’t want her travel on her own just yet. So, it was two birds one stone.

October 3rd Early Afternoon the group gathered together for a photo, and she felt out of place. Maică left not soon after and then they received the envelope and were sent home for last minute packing and so they did. She felt on edge and nervous as she checked her bag. Jumping when Ethan spoke from the doorway and asked (again) why she was lying to him. All she felt looking at him was a lump stopping her from speaking and the never-ending sound of ticking in her head. Even though this time she could actually be more truthful than usual. She said she wasn’t good enough for this trip. This time he only partially believed her… she could tell. In a change of pace Ethan offered to come with her and see her off at the dock. Her panic at Ethan and Evie meeting made her “no” too sharp, a tone she had never used on him, and the gutted feeling of watching Ethan flinch back from her was something she’d never forget. Picking up her wallet and ensuring her driver’s license was inside and putting it in her bag. Which she folded around and put it in the suitcase. As she did that Ethan noticed amongst her things there was nothing for a child in there. But dismissed assuming the kid would be having her own things with her. She backtracked and hoped her panic and fear was not obvious.

That he might come anyway all she said was good enough to make him stay home but not enough to wipe that wounded look off his face. And the sound of the car horn from her taxi prevented further words and there was only just enough time for her to press a kiss to his cheek. Before going outside and getting in the car. Losing sight of home and Ethan who was at the door by that point almost made her cry, but she couldn’t. At all. The last time she had really cried was getting the bills strangely putting that thought to the side she arrived at the dock and smelling the sea and the sounds of shouts and waves. Looking up at the tanker Mia felt miles away already floating in the sea. She hadn’t even left yet but she wanted to go home to talk to Ethan and be completely honest with him, but she was rooted to the ground with the fear of what could happen and of course the feeling of cold fingers on her arm and the tug on her sleeves made her look down at Evie who was looking up at her and then turned and looked at Alan who had his camera out. they stood together and she wondered if her discontent was obvious...

Getting into their quarters she eyed the open envelope that Alan had left for her to read as well. Picking it up with a sigh she began to read through it. It was not long but it still took a reread to understand their duties. She felt sick. Any confidence she had was gone. She had seen Evie take over people with her mold and how she made them act once infected and she felt nervous especially when focusing on that last point... what would make the mission that compromised? she supposed briefly that she would know what is considered to be "beyond reconciliation" when it happens but even then, she has seen Evie infect multiple people in a day, almost simultaneously. That had been her challenge the weeks after Manganese was executed infect multiple people at once. The next few nights she dreamed of screaming and blood and a horrible high-pitched giggle.

She woke up to a beautiful day and Alan and Evie weren't in their quarters... before she could worry, she noticed the note and only slightly relaxed she took the chance and went outside on deck sending a message to Ethan. Without thinking about her actions she pressed record. Something she did not usually do but considering her location and the oncoming storm she wanted it to get through. Starting off she was bright and happy how could she not? She was told her job here was almost done. The brightness dimmed a little as she caught sight of Evie and Alan, and she signed off after telling Ethan that her "babysitting" job would be over soon she brightened up again when she took the chance to say she loved him. She tried to ignore the feeling of foreboding that only got worse when she admitted her role in this was almost done to the camera just before stopping the recording.

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October 5th evening: when everything went wrong nobody else noticed (they would soon enough) to Mia it sounded like waves normal hustle and bustle the storm picking up as she passed a porthole carrying Alan. Evie’s giggle as she ran off. Trying to stem the rising panic getting to their quarters Alan pulled away and collapsed by the sofa. Coughing and weak. She sounded a lot calmer than she was feeling ignoring the panic at Alan’s infection and that she should have gone after Evie before tending to Alan. She crouched next to Alan. Stating the obvious “Alan you’re getting worse.” He admitted it was his fault Evie got out that she heard her own voice agree with him then everything rushed in and became clearer again when she promised Alan that she was not going to let him die and saw Alan reach out to her and felt the cool touch of the vial containing Evie's tissue samples with Alan saying, “you find her- you fix this”. She knew what it meant. Taking the vial, the situation was getting bad, but it could be worse. Fix this was echoing inside her head. She just had to get to Evie in time. So, turning to the door she searched for calm and finding it and the weight of her knife and handgun on her hip said with more confidence then she was feeling breathed in and said "Okay, Evie. Where are you ."

Leaving their quarters, she followed the codex to the kitchen finding the black vomit covering a good part of it cursing she reset the codex and updated Alan who stating the obvious said “this is getting out of hand” but she agreed because he was right. Going down to the bottom level fighting any molded she sees on the way. Going into the second engine room and hearing Evie’s voice from the shadows “are you mad at me mommy?” the response was automatic and truthful “no Evie I’m not mad” she wasn’t mad but as she spoke, she stuttered when the last word registered, and she felt wary and confused and wanted Evie to elaborate “wait what did you call me?” and with a pleading voice Evie continues with “I don’t want to live at the lab anymore. I want a house. And I want you to be my mommy” listening to Evie’s voice, Mia said something that she hoped would work “okay Evie I’ll be your mummy. come back with me right now.” It didn’t and Evie ran off again giggling with Mia’s over voice saying “Evie wait” as the Annabelles blaring sirens started up. Warning off the molded or the storm that was upon them? She thought. It was both. Leaving the engine room, she contacted Alan. “Did you find her?” Alan asked straight away her frustration was there “Yes but she ran off. she’s making more friends Alan; those things are everywhere.” More Coughing came from Alan. He did not sound good… he waved off her concern reminding her she has a job to do “you just worry about getting Eveline back.”

Making the trek back to their quarters to grab more ammo and check on Alan. Found Alan not there. Calling him lead nowhere there was no answer, and she left a message then she noticed the wall and the writing on it. It looked like blood all it said was “Evie’s upstairs.” Leaving going upstairs entering the corridor with Alan hunched over leaning against the wall (she only distantly noticed the open e Necrotoxin case near him). How did he get up here? She asked him that but all he said was “where’s Evie” updating him that Evie’s condition was deteriorating. All he said was “good thing I’m already dying” feeling desperate she pleads, not quite grasping how futile it was “don’t say that.”

A look comes over Alan’s face she hasn’t seen before or how to describe it really as he says "She trusts you. That little bitch, she never—” Getting up moving away from her spinning side to side looking at something she cannot see he begs “No, Evie, I—Evie—I didn't mean to call you that, Evie." Realising what was happening she spoke as clearly as possible “Alan, listen! She's trying to take control. You have to fight her”.

But it was too late, and he started to scream as the mold appeared on his body seeping through skin and clothes and vomiting it up. As he looked back up Mia turned her attention to Evie. It was instinctual to grab Alan as he was reaching forward. Her hands, on his shoulders ignoring the coldness of the mold she commanded “Eveline, stop! Stop right now!" trying to help them all. But it was too little the imprinting bond should have made this impossible and now it was too late. Alan realising, she was touching him yelled "Don't touch me!" Pushing her as far away from him as he could but it wasn’t enough as she watched the mold consume his body and he collapsed. She saw the codex flashing red before his arm moved and Alan died. And then she saw Evie’s boots and a silhouette of arms swinging in the air before stilling as mold formed around her and Mia felt it cover her head and face screaming as the world went black… she did not know how long she was out if it all, but she became aware of her surroundings again looking down at her hands the macabre lace gloves of mold covering them. Getting up and panting watching as the mold sank into her skin. Leaving her normal hands behind. Not so normal.

Feeling Evie call for her, she began to follow it but first she noticed the bright light of the laptop. The brightest thing here. Fighting against the summons she went to it and sat down. Clenching her fist she pressed the record button, and this final message. Because one way or another she was going to die soon. She said “Ethan...” closing her eyes shaking herself. Panting as the calling became stronger, she continued “You were right. I did lie to you. I shouldn't have, but—” confirming his suspicions with that sentence and dooming him She closed her eyes again as Evie’s call was insistent “All I can say is that if you get this...” begging she said the words “Stay away. Forget that you ever knew me. Have a good life." She wanted him to live. She wanted him to move on when she was gone. Finishing the recording she stepped away from the laptop and continued on thinking she had pressed send but she hadn’t and in her desperation and Evie calling for her she didn’t think about the storm outside... Unbeknownst to Mia when she was buffeted by the wind it also hit the laptop sending it crashing to the ground and broken.

Going through the next door she caught up with Evie. Hearing the sound of running and screaming she put her arms up to defend herself as the crew member appeared and just as he was about to run into her exploded. As he did so Evie appeared and before Mia could say anything Evie promised in the most sinister voice Mia had ever heard from her “We’ll be together forever” As the siren lights flashed highlighting areas in red a blast of wind whipped down the corridor and the windows exploded. For the first time really feeling the power of the storm outside the walls of the ship broke apart. Mia felt herself slipping and grabbing for purchase but finding none found herself falling. Gripping onto an exposed pipe she looked up as if the power of her stair would keep her stable on the slippery metal, then she saw the falling bodies. As one went past, she felt it and it made her lose her grip. Looking down at the raging see she caught a glimpse of a gash on her arm but catching sight of a fire she looked up as the top exploded then she heard more closer to her. She looked up as something above her exploded and her grip was lost, and she fell. Her last look was of the ship and trying to keep afloat fighting the inevitable, but the storm was stronger, and she lost. The sea swallowed her. Fading in and out of consciousness she saw the colours of fire and the ships destruction before she lost consciousness entirely.

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Back home master bedroom 9th October 2014 A tanker ship was missing. Due to a storm. He didn’t think much of it at the time. Ethan was sitting on their flooring rummaging through papers and thought about Mia and her everything, little things like how jumpy she was how paranoid at times. And bigger things like the bruises and being vague about what she was doing. At the start she told him a lot but since the bruises started appearing. She began lying to him. And now he didn’t know what to think especially looking at the letter he was holding. The one with a threat against him. Before anything solidified in his head a loud knock sounded downstairs and opening the door, he found two men who introduced themselves as police officers asked to come in. and they talked about how in reviews of lists they found Mia’s name among the missing from the ship Annabelle. He closed his eyes as they told him they knew no more than that and left after telling him they will be back with more information when they get more for it. Few hours later a different set of police officers appeared in uniform said the same thing and Ethan didn’t say anything about the first pair. He didn’t think it was bad just poor department communication. But the look in the police officers’ eyes when he didn’t react as expected (because he already knew) was suspicious. With the same promise they left.

October 10th onwards Ethan began to look at the news slowly but surely putting information together as it became known. He looked at the list of names available Captain Ed Carlile to the Physician Gerald Waddel. He felt useless reading them. The investigators only gave him so much especially when their investigation was focused on him it was hard and relationships were damaged if not severed entirely because of it but that investigation only lasted a month and 1 week. But the damage was irreparable for everyone… he had a hard time trusting everyone in uniforms after that. It was a hard time for everyone, at the meetings of families who had also been affected by the Annabelles disappearance (people like him) he didn’t like hearing the arguments between those who thought their loved ones were dead and others thought they were alive and the amount of work they had to put in to making sure everything is safe for when… if they return. And of course, his situation and three others of being suspected of having something to do with it was still hard… in 2015 a few of the families decided to get a presumption of death certificate in March. Ethan heard their reasoning and understood why they were doing it but couldn’t take part, he and a few others still had hope. But they all went to support their friends, misery loves company and watching the argument take place was that indeed. That whilst it’s been less than a year the disappearance of a ship in a hurricane and coastal rescue teams finding nothing is good enough reason to believe they’re dead… It was not long later when Ethan and the others did the same. It was easier for them. They knew what to expect and there had been more time.

The day was warm, and the sun was shining, and he looked at the simple gravestone he and the others put together with the names that they knew. People who had families and friends. Mia Winters was towards the end. The others were obscured by flowers. He looked at his wedding band. The gleam in the sun, felt the engraving and took it off. Putting it in his pocket and going to a home that no longer felt like it.

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It was decided that they move back to the old facility. It was deemed safe. The leaks potential and actual were plugged. Going downstairs the gloved hands holding hers let go when they went through door into the room with a window. It wasn’t anything different then what she had been in before. It wasn’t until she was left alone, and the lights dimmed, she sat on the bed. Lay down on the thin mattress and heard a rustle. Getting up she reached under and found what had made the noise. Pictures of things she hadn’t seen before or heard of. She could barely make out the name on some “Eveline” and Mia was on the others. She didn’t know the names, but she knew that Eveline was her sister she wondered who Mia was (she hadn’t been introduced to her caretaker yet). Realising that made her… happy. She carefully put the papers back under mattress, the rustle meaning that she wasn’t alone. She lay down again and fell asleep. And had nice dreams for once. The girl was called Elora and she had no idea what was coming next.

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Chris Redfield read the file that was placed on his desk, then again, the third time he was able to read what was actually on the pages outside of “Blue Umbrella”. It was all the information that Blue Umbrella had on a bioweapon manufacturing group called The Connections and they were experimenting with a special type of mold that is it. There was a suspected list of incidents possibly related to it. Including a disappearance of a tanker called the Annabelle with a list of victims one seemed familiar Mia Winters nee Thorne but the familiarity was distant and he wasn’t able to place it. (the reason why would be something he remembered a few years later)

He heard the door opening as he continued reading the last page that they request him for his experience in handling bioweapons in the field when the need arises (it was never a question of “if” always “when”). No startling when a hand landed on his shoulder how could he? It was just Jill and Carlos behind her. Coming to check on him again possibly because they heard about this file. They took a seat with him and read through it all as well. Reacting as expected to the intel provided and how little they had. They had time (a week) so they read again and contacted informants. Contacting the families of the missing people from the Annabelle was a struggle and discussed every angle there was they could in that week and in the end? Chris signed the papers and started working with Blue Umbrella.

#resident evil #mia winters #my writing #re eveline #mithan #eveline baker #ethan winters #you know that old show Alias with Jennifer Garner? that's on channel 4 now as a rerun and i was thinking of rewatching #then my brain tripped into thinking of it and mia #Mia is not a scientist still not sure what the attack that infected Alan was so skipped over that #hope i got the romanian right... its a little on the nose but i like it a lot (not telling what it means)#also with the periodic table names i just went which ones have a nice sound or were funny #matrix scene of what's his name dodging bullets is me dodging dialogue #eveline deserves a family that chose her and she chose them (not the other way around)#i did consider briefly eveline griffin if you know me you know my feelings about clarke griffin #(clarke griffin is the fucking hero fuck off jason)#but then I thought about Charlotte which is yeah that happened it didn't go well #i am not sure about the title #this is long #any mistakes i am sorry and missing things i am sorry #reminder this is a mother miranda hate account #my inclusion of aunt rhody is because of a short developer interview they did and there is two the first is about a goose #the other is what we know (also i wanted to include it anyway i felt gleeful at getting to include it)#this is kinda companion piece to the thing i wrote about evie making friends in the mold network #i hope i got the love between mia and ethan and the shakyness of their relationship whilst she was in the connections #depending on everything (me not being an idiot/ figuring out tags are the main ones) i might upload to ao3 #i did consider including them watching the first few episodes of alias but it didn't fit in this so i might do a seperate story for it #also this is set over years (if you can't tell) and i would say mia trained to handle Evie for 2 years (technically not emotionally)#playing fast and loose with imprinting

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screechthemighty · 2 months

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*holds my hand out like I'm summoning a cat* hey mithan fans psspsspsspss guess what fic update time (If any of this feels familiar, that's because it's a re-write of the anniversary chapter in milestones. And by "re-write" I mean "there's a lot of copy-pasting from that chapter," lol. Hope you enjoy it regardless!)

catch me floating circles in my fish bowl - part five:

May 28, 2021:

“You ready?”

He wasn’t. He thought he’d be. Ethan had been dreaming about this moment for weeks. That didn’t stop him from hesitating.

Irrational as it was, things had been going a little too well lately. He didn’t need so many injections. He’d been sleeping better. Things were great between him and Mia, all things considered. Finally having that talk hadn’t erased everything wrong in the relationship, or their individual lives, but there was no longer that barrier between them. They could work on things together. It was a relief.

So, of course, he was bracing himself for something to go wrong. For the other shoe to drop. Or, more specifically, for him to stand up and somehow spontaneously break his leg the second he tried to walk on his own.

Come on. Don’t be a wimp. Ethan took a deep breath and braced his hands against the wheelchair. Mia’s waiting for you.

That thought spurred him to stand. Tom was ready with the walker. It was the one concession Ethan had made, weighing how much the use of it counted as walking on his own against the chance of falling on his face in front of Mia on their anniversary. It suddenly didn’t feel like enough support. His hands would’ve been shaking if he wasn’t gripping the walker so tightly.

“Are you in any pain?” Tom asked.

“No.” The word came out with a shaky laugh. “Just nerves.”

Tom nodded. “You can do this. You’ve gotten a lot stronger since you started, and all your medical scans say you’re structurally sound. Trust me, I wouldn’t be okaying this if I was worried.”

Ethan nodded. He took a deep breath. “Time to go see my wife,” he said quietly.

Time to put all of that work to good use.

Ethan fixed his eyes forward and took his first steps.

It felt like their last truly normal anniversary celebration had been before Dulvey; what today lacked in normalcy, it made up for in pure effort. Carlos and Jill had Rose, and the people around Blue Umbrella had managed to get their hands on proper dinner for them. Mia didn’t know how, or who had set up a private dining space for them in one of the garden areas. Every time she asked Marshal, he told her it was a group effort. Enough of her things had been recovered for her to wear a dress and some makeup. She didn’t know what Ethan was wearing—he’d told her that he’d meet her down there—but he could’ve showed up still in hospital clothes and she would’ve been happy.

He was alive. He was there. He was staying. It was more than she could’ve hoped for.

As she sat at the table, Mia noticed movement out of the corner of her eye. A shape became clearer through the slightly distorted glass. It was Ethan. He was walking. She could just make out the shape of someone else in the hallway, probably one of the doctors, but whoever it was, they stayed a respectful enough distance away that they must have felt confident he wouldn’t fall. Mia jumped to her feet and met him at the door. Ethan was wearing a simple button-up and slacks, and someone had trimmed his hair back. He was using a walker, but Mia was glad to see he’d accepted the help. Ethan’s eyes widened as she opened the door. “…hey,” he said softly.

“Hey,” Mia responded. She was so caught up in how healthy he was now that she almost missed the look in his eyes—soft, gentle, the kind of look that usually preceded him telling her how beautiful she looked. He always seemed to get that look when she hadn’t tried to look beautiful, or when she didn’t feel like she was especially beautiful. She’d never been able to figure out what he saw in her in those moments. She especially couldn’t figure it out now. “You’re walking.”

“More or less, yeah. I’m not going to be breaking any speed records, but…”

Mia cut him off with a hug. The surge of emotion that swept through her was nearly enough to make her need a walker. He’d been inches from death only a few months ago. She’d been so close to losing everything. But he’d clawed his way back to her, to Rose. He had come back to her. Seeing him standing there just made it all real.

She wouldn’t have to worry about him anymore. She might forget that later, but in that moment, it was the truest thing in her life.

Ethan hugged her back tightly. His voice trembled slightly when he spoke: “Guess I managed to surprise you, huh?”

“Just a little.” Mia let go, kissing him on the cheek as she pulled away. “Here, come in. They’ve got everything set up.”

Mia was so wrapped up in her own elation that she almost missed Ethan sighing in relief when he sat down. “Are you okay?” she asked once she’d realized.

“Yeah, yeah, I was just kind of worried I’d eat dirt in the home stretch, you know?” Ethan laughed sheepishly. “If it was going to happen, it’d either happen when you first saw me or when we both got too comfortable.” His face softened again as he looked at her. “I didn’t know you still had that dress.”

“I’m just lucky that they brought any of my dresses. You might’ve had to see me in my best pajama pants.”

“You’d still be beautiful, though.” Ethan reached his intact hand across the table to squeeze hers before he picked up his fork. “I think we’re going to owe Blue Umbrella a lot of thank-you cards.”

Mia laughed quietly as she picked hers up. “Yeah. We definitely are.” They’d given Mia her husband back. She was never going to be able to repay them for that.

The conversation wasn’t one they’d usually have on a night like this. Instead of talking about work, they were talking about the developments with Ethan’s future prosthetic. By all accounts, his nerves had healed enough to allow for an experimental full-use prosthetic. It would require more regular visits from Blue Umbrella, just to be sure that it worked the way it should, but, as Ethan pointed out, “I get to be a cyborg, so that’s not the worst trade-off.”

“Just promise me you won’t go super hardcore into…what’s it called? The thing that the guy from your old job was into?”

“Trans-humanism?” Ethan laughed. “Shit, I’d almost forgotten about him.”

“Well, you weren’t the one he was trying to impress.” Mia rolled her eyes at the memory. “He’s permanently filed in my memory under kinds of men to avoid.”

“That’s fair. Shit, what do you think everyone back in Texas is up to these days?”

“Same old, probably.” Mia wondered if any of them ever thought of the Winters, or if they’d just become distant memories. Footnotes in a random documentary about strange disappearances. “I’ll tell you one thing, all of this has made me miss those office jobs.”

“Tell me about it. My boss never turned into a dragon…” Ethan paused. “Kind of felt like he might a few times, though.”

Mia couldn’t help laughing. She knew exactly what he meant. “What do you think you’ll do once we’re out?” she asked. There was a strange thrill at being able to even think about that future, no matter how strange it might be. She’d take any future with him and Rose.

“Honestly, I have no idea. I haven’t thought that far ahead.” Ethan shrugged as he poked at the last bites of his food. “I’ll probably have to find something remote. Or get into pro wrestling.”

“Pro…Ethan!”

“What? With a face like this, I’d make a great heel.”

“I…I can’t tell if you’re joking or not.”

“…I’m mostly joking.”

Mia started laughing again. It felt like the most she’d laughed in months, maybe years. “I see your point,” she said, “but for what it’s worth, I like your face.”

“Even after all of this?”

“Even after all of this,” Mia confirmed. She reached across the table to touch his cheek. “Always and forever.”

Ethan smiled at her and leaned into the touch. The length of the table suddenly felt too far a distance. Mia moved her chair around so she was right next to him. As she did, Ethan pulled something out from under his shirt. It was his wedding ring. He’d been wearing it on a necklace all this time. Mia wondered now if he had planned on wearing it on the proposed mechanical hand, or was just waiting for his right hand to recover more fully. Fine tune motor control could still be hit or miss. “Why are you supposed to wear this on your left hand?” he asked.

“Tradition,” Mia said. She rested her head on his shoulder. Even with their reconciliation, there was something strange about the gesture, almost awkward. The ease of casual touch was slowly coming back, but she couldn’t help noticing he hadn’t gained back all his lost weight. He’s doing better, though. One day at a time. “They used to think there was a vein that ran from the ring finger directly to the heart.”

“Really?”

“Hmm. All your fingers connect to the heart, but it’s a nice thought.”

“That does sound more like what I learned in high school bio class,” Ethan said. “So, it…doesn’t really matter if I wear it on the other hand? Because if we’re going to be integrating back into society soon, I need people to know I’m taken. I don’t want to be beating off unwanted attention.” Mia laughed again. “What? I’m a catch. Everyone knows it.”

“You are,” Mia agreed. “I was lucky to grab you before someone else did.”

“To be fair, you were the only one who saw it back then.” Mia scoffed. “No, it’s true. I feel like at least half the people in that office didn’t know who I was.”

The thing was, Mia believed it. She even understood why, to a degree. Ethan had been low-drama in the office. He showed up for his scheduled hours, did his job highly competently, didn’t bother anyone, didn’t start anything. It was actually that lack that had made him stand out to her. She’d dealt with enough adults acting like high schoolers in her lifetime. Someone who behaved himself felt extraordinary.

“Why did you say yes, anyway?” Ethan asked suddenly.

Mia was caught off-guard by the question. It didn’t help that 2009 had been so long ago. Sometimes she felt like that part of her life had happened to someone else. “To the first date, or to marrying you?”

“Both.”

She started with the first one after digging through her memories. “Well, for the first one, you’re cute. Yes, even in the company-labeled polos.” Ethan groaned in mock pain. Mia bit back a laugh. They had not been flattering polos, but he’d made it work somehow. “And opening with do you like jellyfish caught my attention.”

“So, good looks and an air of mystery. Got it.” Ethan rested his cheek against the top of her head. “And when I proposed?”

She remembered that much more clearly. “I loved you. I loved you because…you were stable. You were reliable. You showed up. I’d never had someone care about me the way you did.” If she’d only known what that caring would lead to. “Do you remember when my car broke down during that freak cold snap? I thought you were going to stay on the phone with me until the tow truck got there, but you drove all the way out there so I wouldn’t be alone.”

Ethan laughed quietly. “Yeah, I remember. I was just surprised I beat the tow truck.”

“I’m not.” That was classic Ethan. He was always there for her, one way or another. “Honestly, if you hadn’t asked me when you did, I probably would’ve asked you.”

Ethan looked surprised. His expression now was almost the same as when she’d said yes back then. “Wait, is that why I barely got my speech out before you said yes?”

“Yeah.”

“Shit. And there I was nervous you’d say no.”

She almost wanted to laugh again. How could there have ever been a doubt in his mind? Why wouldn’t she say yes? The more accurate question was…

“Why did you ask me?” What about me was so special? She was afraid to ask, in a way, but she couldn’t help it. She had to know.

Ethan didn’t hesitate. “Why wouldn’t I? You’re funny, smart, beautiful…never give up kind of girl. I know how rough all those temp jobs were for you, but even when you were angry about it, you didn’t let it keep you down for long. And before you forget, you were the one who helped me deal with two moves and a major job change in two years. It wasn’t just me showing up.”

Mia did remember. He might have seen it as gumption, but not giving up had never been an option for her. If she didn’t fight for herself, no one else would…until him, of course. She’d always just thought that doing the same for him was the bare minimum. “You could’ve handled that on your own.”

“Maybe, but I didn’t want to. You were there for me, every time. It kept me sane.” His eyes defocused slightly, as if he were digging something up from the deepest parts of his memory, and a fond smile drifted onto his face. “It was the second move, when I was waiting to hear back about the new job. I had that storage shelf I couldn’t figure out because I hadn’t slept, so I called you for backup.”

“Oh, that thing.” Funny how she had so many holes in her memory, but she could remember her resentment towards that piece of shit pretty well. “I swore at the instructions, right?”

“You did, but it was very endearing swearing. And I was in the kitchen getting us both pizza, and…I don’t know. I just realized this was how I wanted it to be. You and me, together. I thought about asking right then, but with the job still up in the air, y’know, I wanted to make sure everything was stable on my end, first.” He ran his thumb along the ring’s surface. “But that was when I knew.”

He had waited a few months to ask her, if her memory was right. Mia wondered how he’d been able to keep it in all that time. She’d barely been able to keep from asking him more than once. She’d felt the same way for so long, even if she didn’t have a name for it, and that feeling had never faded. Not once.

“I don’t think I can get this back on without dropping it,” Ethan said quietly. “Give me a hand?”

Mia’s breath caught in her chest, just for a second. She was a little worried she would drop the ring as she pulled away to take the ring and slip it onto his ring finger. There was a moment where she wondered if it would still fit after all the damage and rehabilitation his hand had been through, but it slid on perfectly. As if he’d never taken it off.

“That’s better.” Ethan took Mia’s hand and kissed it gently. “Here’s to ten more years, huh?”

Tears welled up in Mia’s eyes, but she blinked them away. Today wasn’t a day for tears. Today was a celebration, and not just of their marriage. They were both still alive, against all odds. Still together. Still a team.

She wasn’t going to let anything bring them apart ever again.

“Ten more years,” Mia agreed. “I love you, Ethan.”

“I love you, too.” Ethan’s forehead rested against hers. For a while, they sat in silence, just reveling in the proximity to each other. Ethan was the one who pulled away first. “Oh, I almost forgot…”

“What?” Mia had to pull away so he could reach into his jacket. “What is it?”

“Jill gave me something before I came down here. Said it was from the three of them and that I should wait until I see you?” It was a plain envelope, not very thick but all the more mysterious for it. “I have no idea what it is and Carlos wouldn’t look at me, so I’m assuming it’s a pretty big surprise.”

“Well, now I’m curious.” Ethan held out the envelope to Mia, who opened it carefully. The exterior was a pretty standard anniversary card—cartoon otters holding hands, cursive font congratulating them on their marriage. When Mia opened it, though, something was taped to the inside left. A photograph of a house, out in what looked like either the countryside or an underdeveloped area.

Is that…?

Ethan read the hand-written message aloud: “We’re finishing up the final details with this. Once it’s settled and the docs give the go-ahead, you’ll…” His voice broke. “…you’ll have someplace to go. More details incoming, all the best…”

Mia put the card down and hugged Ethan tightly. He hugged her back, his body trembling with tears of happiness.

They could see the light at the end of the tunnel, and it had never looked brighter.

#fic: catch me floating circles in my fish bowl #resident evil #mithan

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