You Might Need to Carry Me

Posted on Mon Mar 31st, 2025 @ 9:12pm by Lieutenant Darru & Ensign Mercy Mourne

Mission: Remnant
Location: Ancient Alien Temple - Mushroom Chamber
Timeline: Day 409
1628 words - 3.3 OF Standard Post Measure

By the time help arrived Mercy had been unconscious for sometime. Her leg propped up where Madi had left it, but the rest of her was sprawled across the temple floor, out cold. There was a relaxed expression on her face. It was vaguely euphoric, and her skin had gone pale and cold although that was likely from wearing damp clothing for so long. Around her the mushrooms glowed, giving the chamber an eery quality reminiscent of being underwater. Mercy might have well have been under water. As she drifted in and out of consciousness she was vaguely aware her leg should be hurting her. She was vaguely aware that time was passing… or had passed? Time was such a loopy, squirmy thing. Looming statues lined the edges of the wall, standing a silent vigil. One of Mercy's hands clutched a sample cannister, inside a mushroom covered in spores. She held it to her chest like a treasure. The other arm flung out as if reaching towards the nearest statue.

Darru frowned as he stepped into the area that was showing one solo life signature. He glanced around and instantly saw her lying on the floor. "Mercy," He called as he rushed over and crouched by her pulling out his scanner shifting it from science mode to medical mode as he called her name again and shook her shoulder. "Wake up ensign." He ordered in a no-nonsense tone.

Mercy blinked awake slowly. Her head felt floaty and groggy and she was so confused. “Darru?” She croaked out his voice then gave him a goofy smile. “Did the naked alien bring you? Where did he go? Why are there two of you?” She reached up to try and boop his nose but missed, and this was obviously the funniest thing to her pain and drugged addled brain. Instead her finger landed in his cheek, the touch cold and light.

Darru raised an eyebrow as the touch on his cbeek and gently lowered her hand to her side as he started to scan her. “No naked aliens were met on my way here. Just one very soaked Ensign.” He assured in a gentle voice trying to sound reassuring like he had heard Hughes sound when dealing with people. “What have you taken?” He asked thinking there was nothing in a standard first aid kit that would cause this.

“He was just here! He was nice.” Mercy insisted, she then looked around and pointed to a statue. “Looked a lot like that guy there, but he came to sit with me and keep me company while I waited for someone to come back for me. Knew Madi would get out. Knew you wouldn’t leave me behind.” She then waved an empty canister of the painkiller leaves. “Chewed on these, thought they would just make the pain bearable. Must have scanned them wrong.” She frowned down at the bottom of the empty cannister as though the leaves had betrayed her. She waited a moment or two for Darru to finish his scan then clumsily tried to take the portable scanner from him. “Don’t understand… must have… maybe something reacted.”

"We would not have left you behind," The man assured quietly as the scanner was taken from him before he could get a proper look at anything but at least it distracted her enough so that he could get the vial away. He stuffed it in his pocket so she could not take any more at the very least. She was already worse for wear. "I do not believe the stuff is quite a pain medication that you could take for long."

Mercy let the cannister go easily, and instead frowned down at the little display. “This says I’m hallucinating… is that why there are two of you?” She then begins to scan the air besides Darru, before scanning him. “Ah there you are! That’s the real you. Should have known, you’re less fuzzy. But both of you are very handsome-“ she came to an abrupt stop. She blinked rapidly down at the little display, she tried to get her vision to focus. That couldn’t be right, it said Darru’s hormones were spiking.

“Darru!” She gasped and then clutched his arm. “Darru the scanner is saying you are either a teenager or dead!” Her lower bottom lip wobbled and for a moment it looked like she might cry. “You can’t die, not before I tell you how much I like you and ask you out to dinner. But a proper one this time! In our quaters, with the lights down low and with music!” Mercy seemed genuinely distressed, not able to filter her thoughts or regulate her emotions. She was like a raw nerve.

Darru took in a deep calming breath as he took back the scanner and turned it off putting it in his pocket before he felt calm enough to speak. All the things she had just said were the words he wanted to say but had been unsure on how to speak them. “We will have that moment Mercy but right now I need to get you out of here.” He said softly trying to calm her down without having to reveal exactly why he hormones were spiking.

Mercy nodded, with that utter sincerity of someone trying their best to appear sober. Her face was very serious as she answered. “Yes of course. But then you need to remind me to talk to Darru. Promised the naked alien god I would tell him something important.” Her vision blurred slightly as the room spun, the lucid moment clearly slipped away. “Which one of you three is real enough to help me stand, not sure I can do it by myself while the walls are melting.”

Darru said nothing as he leaned forward and easily picked her up. “Put your arm around me.” He said firmly once she had done that he jostled her a little to make sure he had her weight balanced properly. “Now tell me about the naked alien god.” He advised intrigued on where that had come from.

Mercy made a small noise of surprise as her world shifted, grabbing hold of Darru and hoping that she wouldn’t fall. She had done enough falling today already. As she leans into him she gives him a dopey smile. “You smell nice. Like warmth and incense and cosy nights reading a book under a blanket.”

She then looked around and pointed to one of the statues. “That’s him right there. He’s waving.” She waved back and then tilted her head as though she was listening. Bursting out into giggles she nodded. “I told you so didn’t I. He really is.” She listened for a moment more before glancing up to Darru. “Yeah he does. He’s great like that.” Her arm was now wrapped around Darru’s shoulders, tightened a little as though giving him a small squeeze.

Darru raised an eyebrow in the direction of Mercy's words, but saw nothing move thankfully. It was very much all in the woman's head. "We have to leave." He told her, hoping it implied that she had to say goodbye to her hallucination-created friends, even if they were encouraging her to say nice things about him. He wanted her to say things like that when she was sober.

“Oh, okay!” Mercy gave one last wave to the statue and then settled down in Darru’s arms. “You’re so strong to be able to carry me. I thought I’d have to be dragged out of there.” She was cold, her clothes and skin damp from where she had fallen in the water when they first entered.

“This is a much better way to get in and out of the temple! We should have come in this way.” She muttered looking around. Her eyes then landed on Darru’s face. “I always thought the first time you carried me like this it would be at the end of a really good date. But this was a disaster. I’m glad it’s you rescuing me though. We should do this again, but out of uniform… and with candles.”

"I am stronger than humans, and you do not weigh much. The route back is not hard." Darru commented, trying not to comment on the part she said about a date. He really did not want to have this conversation whilst she was high and not in the right mind. "We will discuss the other things when you are feeling better." He promised as he moved side ways through one of the passageways.

Mercy giggled, her body shaking a little in Darru’s grip. “You are strong. And you have to promise. That we can talk about it when Doc has fixed my ankle!” Mercy suddenly seemed to remember something and she looked a little crestfallen. “Hah man, Avira is gonna frown and call me an idiot with her face. She never says it out loud but I can see it when she looks at me.” Mercy pouted slightly. “Although to be fair, this time she is not wrong.” She relaxed in Darru’s grip once more and in the dark of the temple corridors just seemed to watch his facial expressions for a few moments.

“Hey Darru, promise me again we can talk about going on a date. Even if the doc gives me that look and makes me feel small, I don’t think I’d mind if-“ Mercy broke off into a jaw cracking yawn. “Hmm, what was I saying?”

"Nothing... nothing at all," Darru assured quietly. It was not needed to discuss properly now, it could all wait.