Day 019: Death Warmed Over
Summary: Where the sick moan, groan, and talk about war under first aid.
Date: 06 June 2016
Related: In a Hole Lot of Trouble, Search and Rescue, The Long Walk Home.
Asher Cameron Cassandra Cole Delinquents Devin Elias Fiona Jabira Kai Layla Morgan 


Cargo Hold — The Dropship
The lowest level of the dropship was once meant to store large amounts of cargo in addition to auxiliary seating. As the camp outside was built, however, it was cleared of the meager supplies sent down with The 100, and now is merely storage for the most valuable of resources. It's walls, deck, and ceiling have been stripped to bare metal panels, and several small areas extend beyond the central area, providing an illusion of privacy. A single lowered door with a pair of curtains across it is the only exit from the dropship, while two ladders pierce the ceiling, leading to the levels above.
Day 20

Anyone trying to enter the camp needs to be recognized before the gate is opened for them. It's also no secret that Cameron is sick and is being quarantined in the dropshop so anyone who's also obviously sick would be told to go there. And be treated like a leper as no one wants to catch whatever it is. The far end of the hold is where Cameron is lying, dozing off at the moment with Morgan sitting next to him looking worried.

Some time after Cameron's arrival, more shouts come from the gates as they are once again opened as Devin arrives back at the camp, carrying Cass in a fireman's carry. He looks extremely weak, sweaty and exhausted, but it's not sure if this is from the exertion of carrying Cass back to the camp or if he's come down with this new illness. He's directed towards the dropship where the sick are being quarantined. He arrives in the ship, his feet barely lifting off the ground as he moves. "Help. Me. Cass. Sick." He says between deep forced breaths.

Somewhere at the top of the list of people least likely to make friends is Cassandra, not only a social leper, but now an original source of haemorrhagic leprosy as well. If her condition is any indication of what's to come, it's no wonder that the unafflicted are now peeling back from her and Devin's arrival like a parting sea. She has the same symptoms as him and Cameron, but perhaps at a more advanced stage of her illness, she has not only blood, but a strange, bright orange fluid seeping into a crusty rivulets from her ears and nostrils, the medium brown skin around both of her eyelids is swollen and bruised, and she has a Grounder-woven bandage pressed underneath a bump on her forehead. One of those eyes cracks open to peer up at Devin, a sign that at least she's conscious.

Despite looking right at the exit, Morgan doesn't really see Devin until he speaks up. Blinking away the Deep Thoughts that was preoccupying, he needs a moment to translate what's said before he stands up. "Over here." He moves to help Devin with Cass, frowning at the condition of the girl. "What the fuck? Over there, next to Cam. Do you have anything to add that Cam didn't?"

Devin moves as quickly as he is able to to where Morgan indicates to set Cass down and he does so the best he can. Once she's safely laid out, he finally allows himself to collapse down on his butt on the floor, leaning back against the table. He tries to catch his breath before he looks up at Morgan. "I don't… know. Found them wounded." His breathing still labored. "Moved them to safety. Asher started convulsing. Then Cass. Decided to take them here. We all got worn out. I went ahead. To get help. They should be here soon." He says as he wipes the sweat from his brow. "She okay?"

When a drop of blood lands from Devin onto her face, Cassandra peels back after being set down, scanning the room with swollen eyes. Her hand claws at a nearby chair, trying to haul herself up onto her side and she opens her mouth to say something, only for blood to come out instead when she starts to cough. She raises her forearm to cover her parched, pale lips, wincing, then looks back up towards Morgan and Cameron expectantly. There's a question there, one she's struggling to produce.

"Not even close." Morgan answers, kneeling down next to Cass to look her over. Blood, check. Fever, check. Weird looking fluid, wtf? He gently pushes Cass back down onto the floor. "Stop it Cass. You need to rest. Lie back and let me look you over. Devin, there's a bucket of water over there and some cups." Or what passes for a bucket and cups. "Can you get me some for her and yourself too."

Devin takes a quick moment longer to catch his breath before he looks up at Morgan before he nods and pulls himself up off the ground and moves towards the bucket indicated. Get himself and Cass a cup and moves slowly back towards the pair, offering one of the cups to Morgan before he takes a sip from the other cup, looking down towards the girl on the floor, wiping away the blood from his head.

What becomes quickly apparent is that Cassandra does not like being helpless. When Morgan pushes her to the floor — and gentle though he may be, that's all it takes — she grits her teeth, staring daggers up at the doctor with baleful eyes. "Where is Asher?" she asks. That's her question, and she finally manages to speak it. By the dire tone in the pessimist's voice, she already thinks she knows the answer: dead. Concerning her own survival, she looks to the cup in Devin's hand when he returns.

"Where's Asher, Devin?" Morgan asks, carefully peeling the bandage off of Cass' forehead. "And tell me how you're feeling. I'll look you over as soon as I can. Thanks." he adds as he takes the cup. "Lift your head carefully." he says to Cass, ready to hold the cup to her lips.

Devin takes a longer drink from the cup as he starts to get his breathing under control. He looks to Cass before he looks towards Morgan. "He's coming." He takes another deep breath. "They're carrying him. He's in real bad shape. Worse than her." He says, nodding towards Cass. "Should be here any time now. People went for them."

She may not have a lot to say, but when water hits her lips, Cassie drinks like a drowning fish. The strain in her expression is evident when she lifts her head, but it's worth it, for that fleeting moment of ecstasy. The cup is empty in a matter of seconds, and then she slides her eyes towards Devin. "You should have seen the other guy…" she dryly retorts.

<FS3> Morgan rolls Medicine: Success.

Worse than her? And he's alive? Morgan looks a bit dubious but that can wait for when Asher arrives. "Grounders right?" He sets the cup aside then finishes peeling the bandage off her head, frowning at the injury. He leans closer to look at her eyes then sniffs at the thin fluid. "What happened to your head Cass?"

Devin looks towards Cass again before he looks to Morgan, shrugging slightly. "I don't know. They said Trikru was declaring war on us." He says with a slight frown on his lips. "I'm not sure what exactly is going on and the rest of their party is still out there." He drains the rest of the liquid out of his own cup before he moves to get Cass' cup and refill them both.

And then the doctor who pressed her to the ground is sniffing at her face. Oh, she knows she's really not his type, and that his boyfriend is right there by his side, but it doesn't stop the visceral reaction that has Cass flinching and glancing away. This also gives her the opportunity to take in the full sight of Cameron with blood coming out of his nose. "We were ambushed. I think I was shot in the head. And then I fell off a horse." This makes little sense of course, as if she'd been shot in the head, she would surely have skewered her brain and be dead. But on close inspection… the bloody mark beneath her fresh bandage is oddly V-shaped, and could, perhaps, have been caused by a whirling arrow that narrowly missed its mark. The bruise above it indicates something else beneath the surface, and is warmer to the touch than even the rest of her burning, fever-afflicted skin.

Morgan sits back on his heels and tries to be gentle as he feels around the edges of the head wounds. "I'm not sure but I think you cracked your skull. Badly." Some day he'll work on that bedside manner. "That would explain that other liquid if it's what I think it is." When was the last time he worked on a cracked skull? Never. "It's going to take a long time to heal so you need to move as little as possible." Assuming she survives whatever the illness is.

Somewhere about now a group of now unwittingly infected delinquents carry Asher into the dropship on the makeshift stretcher that was put together in the woods. Asher is not small, and his previous chauffeurs apparently were too tired to keep up the journey. Asher would likely have some quippy remark about this except he still pretty out of it. Unlike Cassandra, who has serious problems from major head trauma, Asher really just lost a lot of blood from having so many holes poked in him. No big deal, really. The result is a pale, and somewhat gaunt looking Asher who's been ravaged by a nice, healthy fever for the past twelve hours or so. The youths who carry him in look expectantly at Morgan, because…well because they don't want to keep carrying him and would like to put him down.

Devin moves towards the table again, offering Cass her cup again. He watches Morgan again as he examines her, tilting his head slightly before he looks back towards the commotion outside, not sure what's going on but as soon as Asher arrives, he understands and moves back out of the way to let them have some more room to work. "Is he still alive?" He asks, looking towards those carrying the wounded Asher.

Cassandra grimaces painfully as Morgan probes at that cracked skull of hers, and has an expression of faint, queasy alarm when he suggests it's tied to the other liquid leaking from her nose and ears. "What is it? Brain juice?" she asks. She may know a lot about Earth Studies, but apparently neuroscience is a little above her pay-grade. Striving to disobey her doctor's orders, the impudent delinquent draws her elbows backwards from her shoulders when Asher is brought in, eyes turning bleakly to survey the sight of him. She takes her refilled cup, and at least now she has an excuse to be straining herself — though it's empty as quickly as she downed the first one, fingertips pressing with urgency into its makeshift metal sides.

Somehow, Cole was able to summon up the strength and will to carry Kai all the way from the bolt-hole to the camp. More precisely, the dropship, About an hour or two into carrying the Ex-C cradled in his arms, he started showing signs himself. Whether by sheer willpower and determination for them not to die out in the middle of nowhere, the techie persevered, at the point of his own health. But whenever has that been a shocker that he'll screw himself for somebody else. He's bleeding from the nose and coughing up blood as well. Feverish, but somehow, /somehow/ he appears in the enterance of the dropship, still carrying Kai. It looks kinda goulish since he hasn't really been able to wipe his mouth or nose, looking more like he's been beaten up than coughing it out. At least he's been trying to not spray the woman he's carrying.

"Would…really appreciate it if somebody…could take her." he states weakly upon entering. Looks like he's about to collapse himself.

Morgan points to a spot next to Cass. "Over there." he tells the stretcher bearers. Once they've put him down, he adds "Thanks. Now go back to your beds and get some sleep. And stay there. You've been exposed to whatever he has and might catch it. Don't go near anyone or you might spread it." At the far end of the hold, lying on the floor, are Cam, Cass and Asher in that order with Devin looking like he should be joining them and Morgan playing doctor. "I think so Cass." Good a name as any. Moving over to Asher, he takes his pulse then puts a hand on his forehead. "Alive. And sick. Devin, you need to lie down too." When he hears Cole, he turns to look and then just closes his eyes at the sight of two more patients. "Fuck. me." They are so fucking screwed. Climbing to his feet, he moves over to help Cole with Kai.

Once Asher is deposited he seems to still be mostly out of it. He's still bleeding from his nose, ears and eyes…As well as every other place one can bleed from. As a result, that wrapped up open neck wound is still oozing blood, as are the two holes in his back from arrows, and what looks to be a nice stab wound. Someone fucked Asher up good. His fever is still present, and there's a sheen of sweat across his face. This is going fantastically well!

Kai's actually sort of semi-conscious at the moment. Probably had something to do with them trying to take the rifle at the gate. Which is why the lean ex-C has it slung over her and clutched up against her like it's her damned security blanket despite having to be mostly carried by Cole,"All fucked." because hey, she has opinions and the need to share, giving the ghost of a laugh that ends up in a hacking, bloody cough,"Eli? Did Eli make it?"

Elias does not carry the stretcher into the dropship, likely. With as sick as everyone was arriving, there was more near-collapsing upon reaching camp for him than anything. Already he's started to show the symptoms of the sickness: high fever, sanguine leakage from ears, nose, mouth, and eyes, and what has really hit him by now is the weakness. As he stumbles into the med bay, he finds the nearest place to collapse himself down and absolutely does so. Sweating profusely and otherwise in a bad way, he's also coughing up blood into a piece of rag he had left. The only sound out of him for the moment if the occasional pathetic groan. Kai's voice is certainly noted, but with what little comfort he's found he doesn't seem intent on moving much.

More and more sick people with similar symptoms to her and Asher start streaming in over the next hour or so. Cassandra might have cracked her head, but it's starting to sink in… slowly… that this might just be partly her fault; that there is some kind of epidemic going on. Looking from pallid face to face, namely those who have helped her, she slowly drags her swollen eyes back to the overworked Morgan's with crimson tears of remorse (or, y'know, hemorrhagic fever) and asks, "Can you fix me up, Doc?"

Once Kai has been taken from his arm's, Cole looks almost grateful, a faint passing bloody smile, slightly masked by the ends of his long hair now matted and caked in dried blood and phlegm. Face is streaked from dried blood from his eyes and nose, caked in lines, both fresh and died. "Just make sure she's alright." And pending someone decides to reach out for him, he will simply fall over in the entrance of the dropship, a combination of exhaustion from carrying another person for the past three hours, the illness now fully setting in, or simply a combination of both. He falls over into a heap, for all intents and purposes, looking kind of dead.
Long distance to Stone: Kai grins! Yeh, part of why Kai has a chip on her shoulder is because Captain daddy wanted a boy and wound up with her instead.

Morgan stares when another obviously ill person shows up and then Cole falls over. "No." he answers Cass, sounding distracted. It's becoming crystal clear that there's no way he can keep up with the one getting sick. In less than 24 hours, they were exposed and fell ill. Very virulent and an incredibly short incubation period. He's probably got about 6 hours at most. "We can't spread this to the others. We've all got to stay in here. I need to tell everyone to not come close to anyone who left this morning."

Holy fucking shit, Cole didn't curse. If only Asher were awake enough to have heard that! Alas, he is not. At least not right off the bat. The guys who carried Asher in, seeing what the hell is going on, start to inch for the door. No need to look at us, we are JUST FINE. Seriously. We are cool. No blood anywhere!

It's a few moments before Asher stirs enough to actually be able to open his eyes, though it is half lidded at best. "This must be what hell…" he then trails off for a moment, trying to swallow and instead wincing in pain at the sensation and falling into a dry, yet bloody cough.

Devin starts to wobble as he looks around at the others in the room, blood starting to flow a little bit more from his nose and from one of his ears. He blinks a few times before he looks towards Morgan. "Morgan…" His voice is softer before his eyes roll back in his head and he then collapses onto his back, falling unconscious.

Someone must have at least given Kai someone to lean on, but the lean girl reaches for Cole when he starts to faceplant and can't really do much to try and stop it. Which is how come at least one of the guys inching towards the door gets pinned with,"Pick him up, asshole.. you're already fucked too." because she's just so cheery right now. Apparently the role of cursing has fallen to the ex-C, for all that the rifle-clutching walking nightmare is only too happy to limp off with the assistance of the 'porter' towards the line of sick. Nah. No good. Nope, not there. She's not about to let go of her human crutch until she finds Elias.

Elias is curled up off to the side enjoying some time off. Clearly. Folded almost entirely in half off to the side, he has found his fetal position of greatest comfort and least likelihood to erupt more bile and/or blood. While eyes had been closed, they open slowly at the continual sound of voices in the room. There is really only the sort of misery that comes with being deathly ill, but he does grunt and weakly lift his hand in Kai's direction before curling it back into himself and closing his eyes once again.

Cassandra grimaces at Morgan's reply, and coupled with the revelation that the bright orange fluid that's been slowly evacuating her ears and nostrils is some kind of brain-juice, she takes it as a promise that she is going to die. What use is getting rest and staying put if she's going to die, right? Wincing, she turns her back on the doctor and pulls herself up onto her elbows, starting to dizzily drag herself over in Asher's direction, which is very slow going. "Moba, Little Brother," she says to Devin. Those who found her in the woods earlier would know that she's been vocalising the occasional nonsense word since, which might be explained by her head injury. A blood-and-cerebrospinal fluid-smeared hand of hers comes to rest on the infamous second-born's shoulder, offering him a reassuring squeeze accompanied by a scrunch of her eyes.

Cole isn't moving. He's not doing much of anything right now, and his did have a private conversation with the dropship's deckplating, making a sickening 'thud' sound. He's out, and he's not going anywhere. There's a moment, where it really looks like mechanic simply dropped dead, staying alive long enough to complete the task at hand. Thankfully, a couple of people who're already infected and aren't nearly in such bad a shape as everyone else, pick up the, plus being yelled at by Kai might've been helpful. Or at least a threat of her with that rifle.

Being picked up the by arms, Cole just kinda is ragdoll limp, feet being drug behind him, head hanging down, and blood dripping off his face until he's finally put on one of the empty benches.

"Devin!" Morgan leaps for him but doesn't manage to catch him before he hits the ground. Kneeling beside him, he checks to make sure he didn't crack this skull. "Cass! Lie down damn it or you're not going to heal!" There's unconscious and semi-conscious people all over the fucking place, bleeding to one degree or another. Seeing the ones he told to stay trying to leave, he snaps "If you set one foot on that fucking ramp, I swear I'll hunt you down and cut your fucking heads off! Now go get some water and rags and start applying compresses to their foreheads." Yeah, feeling just a little overwhelmed right now.

Layla had organized a group to go and fetch as much water as they were able; she held to no illusions. However, it was about the time they had begun to return that the young woman had started to feel…well, off. A little later? More than off. She wiped at her nose, and it came away bloody. Determined not to freak anybody out, she keeps it to herself. When she gets the opportunity, Layla takes a bit of spare cloth and uses it to tie around her face. (No, it's not time to rob the stagecoach…) The water-bearers are directed to do what they must, and another lad is ordered to check around the camp itself. Just why Layla should be ordering anybody is up for debate, but as she's listened to, you won't find her complaining.

Steeling herself, Layla makes for the dropship. There's bloody work to be done, and for Layla? She could be elbows deep in the stuff and not find herself bothered.

On the plus side, provided Asher doesn't die, he'll be the first one to get better. On the downside, he's losing blood pretty fast, the shirt bandage around his neck is soaked with dried and fresh blood. And because he is delirious, he speaks in a hoarse and rapsy tone that is not at all his normal voice, "Grounders…not Coesbur." That's helpful information. "Ow…" he adds on. Also helpful. Asher's head sort of falls to the side to see Cassandra and he offers her a bloody smirk, but no words along with it.

Kai's such a threat with that rifle. Really probably the whole reason they didn't just pry it from her was that it's bloody and woof plague rifle. her eyes follow where they cart Cole off to but she? Totally finding a patch of wall with only passing touch for Elias. The rifle gets pointed barrel at the floor because well, what little strength she'd revived with is now officially spent and she's struggling to retain any kind of consciousness right now,"Sho.. shoulda.. showed you." who and what it might apply to might be unclear, because right now the stock is a resting spot for her cheek and her eyes are fluttering closed again. She might feel like death warmed over and mostly unconscious, but compared to many of the others she's at least content to hemorrhage quietly as a lesser case.

Not much going on from Cole, he looks more like a cadaver than an actual person. Blood dribbles out the corner of his mouth, nose, and closed eyes. If it wasn't for almost gurgling sound of his breathing, he might indeed be thought of as dead. Having just gotten over the flu just to get sick again? Yeah, already have a weakened system from fighting off one virus, now he has to make a point to fight against another. While his stay closed, there's a small sputter. "You." Take in a breath. "…alive, Kai?"

The second word Cassandra gets from Morgan indicates she may not be dead meat after all. It's enough to give her pause, even though her bedside manner as a patient is as bad as his is as a doctor. She eyes her smirking destination with frustration, but for now, opts to simply roll over by Devin's side and stare up at the ceiling, shoulders falling slack.

Is that bastard Cole lying on his back? Because if he is, Layla is going to turn him onto his side, so that when he vomits he won't just choke to death on it. And please don't make her have to stick her hand into your mouth in order to clear your passage ways, it feels too personal, too soon. Anyway, attempts at humor aside, Layla will do what she can for those she deems in the worst condition first; wiping away blood and such. Only afterwards will she take the time to approach Morgan and ask if he has anything pressing he needs her help with.

The passing touch from Kai gets no real reaction from Elias beyond another zombie moan and a light shift. When she does settle on the wall next to him, he does shift again so he can open an eye to look at her. "Glad you made it back here," he rasps at her before lifting a hand again vaguely towards her and then just letting it collapse again. There's a glance to Cole then before he once more closes his eyes and just lays there still. "What..is this?" he groans out then, his voice a touch louder as if actually trying to ask a person this question right now. It winds up being a lot more half-hearted than he intends.

Morgan might not be able to do much about a cracked skull. Nor a virus without any medicine. But a nice, normal hole in someone is right up his alley. And judging by the growing bloodstain on Asher's bandages, that needs to be the priority. Moving toward the man, he pauses as Layla approaches and looks extremely relieved. "Yeah, see who has the highest fever. We can only treat the symptoms. Use compresses to try to keep it down. Since they're bleeding, we can't use willow tea since it thins the blood. But if their fever is too high, we'll have to take the chance." As she moves off, he removes Asher's bandage to take a look.

Devin continues to lay on the floor, not bleeding as bad as the others, but bleeding none-the-less. He remains still, but it is still breathing. As Cassandra lays next to him, his head stirs slightly as a soft moan escapes his lips, but his eyes remain closed.

"Yeh." this from Kai, probably for Cole given the effort given to volume even if she doesn't open her eyes right away,"Thanks to Cole." added more lowly, for Elias, content to stay where she is for now without bothering to try and move.

What Morgan uncovers when he undoes Asher's wound would be hard to see from a distance, but the shirt doesn't come off easily, as it is tacky with dried blood. Asher grumbles as that and the Grounder bandage beneath are released. There's a grimace across his face, but he seems relieved to see that Cass has given up her attempt to get over to him. "How's her skull?" He rasps at Morgan. He seems to at least know that's where she was injured. That's good.

There's no fight being turned over, blood pouring out of Cole's mouth and on him when Layla turns him over. "Good." he manages to say, trying to open a blood-covered eye. "Finally did something right for a change." Hand weakly reaches up to try and mop the metal-tasting organic liquid off his face, which just really smears it over him, creating some kind of warrior face-paint.

"Thanks, Cole," Elias tries for, though his volume isn't very high. It is sincere gratitude if not completely exhausted and miserable. Whatever this sickness is, it sucks. The geology section of the ee-ess nerds is clearly nowhere near happy. Eyes do open to settle on Kai once again then and he furrows his brows a touch. "How are you even sitting up?"

Once Morgan sees that the bandage is stuck, he gets some water to soften the dried blood before removing it. "Oh, that's not good." he murmurs once he sees the actual wound. "Still, missed the artery." Or he'd have been dead minutes after he got hit. "Cass? Cracked right open. We'll have to hope it heals well. Gonna take a long time." He puts the bandage back and goes over to get some supplies.

It's true that Cassandra doesn't like most people, but the second-born Morrison did just carry her back to camp by his lonesome after getting infected by the weaponised pathogen she was carrying; and as he was boxed too young to ever share an Earth Skills class with her and that endearing teacher she got floated, he may not have had the same cause to hate her that most do. And so she settles down beside him, with a show of rare camaraderie, and reaches out to give him a friendly pat on the chest with the back of her hand. "Cheer up, Devin," the sick girl with a cracked skull chimes in a low, clogged nasal voice. "'Least you get to die with people who don't hate you for being born."

<FS3> Kai rolls Resolve: Success.

"Kai's worth…" Cole coughs, trying to keep whatever blood he has left in his own body. "..keeping around. She totally wants me." He tries to laugh at his own joke, but it's a weak effort and doesn't really work all that well. "Just nobody tell Jonesy….I'll never hear the end of it."

<FS3> Devin rolls Resolve: Good Success.

Fiona comes in through the dropship doors. She looks…well. Not great. Pretty run down. She leans against the bay door frame wearily, wiping at the sweat at her brow."Huh." she says, admitting, "I've been looking for Cole." Who apparently is here? And see, all the girls want Cole. She stares at him, at the way he coughs, and looks around in alarm. "God," she says tiredly, "What's going on?"

"Someo..ne suppor.. wall." Kai utters with dry amusement as she sinks against the wall properly and sags to the side without letting go of the death grip on that rifle,"Ugh." the quietly emphatic opinion offered by the captain's daughter, then with more effort,"Ugh, Cole. Gross." because she can't muster any better words right now.

Not good? Asher feels so much better. To be fair, he was pretty sure it wasn't good when the Grounders treated it the first time. "You should see the other guy…" Asher intones in that same raspy whisper. One of them is fucked up. The other two…not so much. But he got one of them! Asher falls silent after that and lets Morgan do his work. He isn't going to be of any use for a while anyway. He coughs up some more blood. This is the best disease ever.

"I don't think he is in any condition to talk about hydrazine," Layla says to Fiona, approaching her from where she had formerly been kneeling beside another ill person, applying a compress to their forehead. There's some cloth wrapped around her face, and her hair's pulled into a messy sort of braid - enough that it covers her ears. "You don't seem to be doing too bad," this after a quick once over of the other girl. "If you think you're able, we could use the help. Clean up and all that. Or…you could get Cookie on brewing us some willow tea." She'll pass on the info about it being used on those who aren't running a terribly high fever, but avoiding it for others, due to its blood thinning abilities.

Morgan knows that voice. "Fi! Get the hell out of here before you get sick!" then again, it's probably too late given how contagious it seems to be. "On second thought, I need a hand. Can you get over to Asher while I get this shit?"

Devin lets out another moan at the feeling of the hand on his chest, his eyes fluttering open as he looks toward Cass. His eyes look at the girl next to him as his hand slowly moves to rest on hers. "Don't worry. I'll live." He says to her weakly as he tries to force a smile. "You stay alive." He lets out another small moan as his face grimaces for a few moments.

Hearing Asher's macho retort — the same one she herself made — has Cassandra potentially laughing herself to death. That's what happens when you try to laugh, but instead devolve into bloody, chesty coughs; so although it's clear she's amused, it results in more of a quiet snicker and some cause for concern. "I'll… try…" she eventually replies to Devin, when she starts to get her lethal sense of humour under control.

Cole isn't going to say no to anymore female attention. "Just playing hard to get." he offers to Kai, apparently humor being the best way to make light of an otherwise really bad situation. "Fi?" eyes slant away from Kai over to Fiona. "I guess I have to be on death's bed for you to take notice of me, huh?" Yeah, humor is about the only thing he's got right now. Certainly not his charming good looks. Not with a bloodied face and blood-caked hair. "What…about hydrazine?" He's trying to stay conscious, but it's hard. Taking a lot of effort.

Morgan knows that voice. "Fi! Get the hell out of here before you get sick!" then again, it's probably too late given how contagious it seems to be. "On second thought, I need a hand. Can you meet me by Asher while I get this shit?"

Elias lets out a groan in response to Cole and lifts his hand again briefly only to collapse it again on the ground. "I can't reach you, Cole," he croaks out, his hand flailing against the ground for a moment. "Dun' talk about 'er like that or I'll…" Again, he goes quiet for a moment and takes a few clogged breaths. "bleed on you and shit." There's a forced smirk on his lips before he turns his eyes to Kai. "Fuuuck everything," he groans with a pathetic frown to her. Closing his eyes once more, he stops there to just rest a moment.

Fiona pushes off the entrance frame reluctantly, and given that she's generally go-to person to offer any sort of help that's needed, it's quite unlike her. "I'll go get Cookie and then come help with Asher." She starts to turn, and then swiftly lifts her arm to cough into the crook of her elbow, the effort racking her thin body. She looks down at the blood on her arm. "Oh." she says weakly. "Oh, shit."

Hey, for some people, Cole, that's a fetish. Don't judge. Layla reaches for Fiona when she coughs into her arm, spots the blood, and shakes her head. "Forget that, go and encourage Cole's ego. I'll help Morgan." And with that, off she goes. To help Morgan with Asher. The rest of you guys can survive without her until then, 'kay?

Kai, so hard to get, totally. Clearly fever induced delirium's got some effect on her, given that she slides down further and actually elects to flop a hand out away from her rifle to touch Elias' head. She doesn't bother with further words despite the quirk of her lips at the geology nerd and closes her eyes again, trying to keep the bloody coughing down and conserve her energy for the moment.

Fiona blinks owlishly at Layla. "Okay." She's remarkably docile at the moment, going to sit, no on second thought, she realizes she'd rather lay down - next to Cole. She doesn't say anything at first, giving him a bleary look as her eyes slowly become red-rimmed. "This is not how I intended to spend my day." she jokes weakly.

Cole waves a weak hand over at Elias, trying to laugh, but probably not being all that successful. "Don't worry, dude. She's all yours. Next time, you can save her. All on you.I was just in the area." Okay, so it's not /exactly/ a fetish, just something he does, but Layla isn't all that far off. Not looking all that hot himself, he's laying down on one of the benches, turning his head slowly to Fi. "Pretty sure this is gonna be an unfortunate day for a lot of people, Fi."

Yeah, too late. And if Fi's sick already, Morgan should be coming down with it any minute given how much closer he was to Cam. Should have already in fact. Must be good genes. "Right, make the most of what time I've got left." His medical supplies consist of bandages and water, which have hopefully stayed mostly sterile. Mostly. "Layla, You need to hold the edges of Asher's neck together while I wrap it." His kingdom for a sewing needle and thread. "Asher, it's going to be tight and uncomfortable around your throat but deal with it." But before Layla holds it closed… "Gonna hurt." he warns and pours the water into the wound to wash it out.

"Gonna have to learn how to craft ourselves some bone needles and get gut-thread," Layla comments while preparing to hold the wound in Asher's neck closed. You know, provided they aren't slaughtered by a bunch of savages. Before Morgan pours the water into the wound to wash it, she looks to Asher, and her eyes squint shut ever so slightly - poor evidence of a grin behind that mask. "But just think, once it's healed, you'll have one Hell of a scar."

"Trikru is coming." Fiona sits on the floor next to Cole's bench, stretching out her legs and leaning back against the edge of the bench to brace her back. Her shoulders rest back against his thigh. Surely he doesn't mind, and they're obviously both sick anyway. She wipes at her eyes, the backs of her hand coming away with red smears. "Trikru is coming and we're all sick. What the hell."

<FS3> Kai rolls Warfare: Success.

Devin gives Cass' hand a light squeeze before he releases it and lets his hands fall to his side as he looks up at the ceiling above them. He attempts to keep his breathing steady, but the sweat and blood he keeps having to wipe away keeps his heart rate elevated and his breathing heavy. Fiona's words about the Trikru cause him to close his eyes. "This is how they weaken us."

Elias attempts to lean into Kai's touch to his head, but staying in place seems so much better. Wincing then, he lifts the piece of cloth to his mouth again to cough cup more blood. The laugh that comes to his lips is more just a series of breathed noises. "Was kidding," he replies. "'Preciate it." Curling his arm in again, Elias goes back to resting and trying to stay as comfortable as possible.

"That." Kai's voice croaks hoarsely in seeming agreement with Devin,"Biolog.. ic.. warfare." a pause from the ex-C,"Told ya.. we're fucked." which might be why the mostly unconscious girl is still wrapped hyper possessively about her rifle right now. Eyes remaining closed and body still for now.

Asher eyes Layla as she starts to work, and there is a faint smirk that his marred by a pained grimace as she starts to touch around his wounded neck. "I'm badass looking enough…" comes Asher's witty retort, his hoarse voice getting fainter with each use. "Not all Trikru…She said, we only had a ceasefire with Oxfor." He coughs a few times, "Said we had to bring the message." And apparently the message was this. He might realize this, and just not say it, or he doesn't realize it yet because his brain is fever addled. Guilt, thy name is hemorrhagic fever.

"That seems wily as fuck," comes the complaint from Cassandra Bonheur, who would surely know, being wily as fuck herself. She sounds awfully disapproving of the Trikru's methods, probably because she's on their receiving end. She cannot just keep lying there for much longer, and so wincing, she rolls back onto her elbows and decides to make another noble attempt to forge onwards across the Dropship floor, eyes half closed as she battles the onslaught of fever and vertigo.

And no sooner than she's sat down, Fiona is trying to get back up. "I have a contact in Coesbur." she says, face now streaked from the blood tears coming from her eyes. "I gotta get to him. Maybe there's a cure." Wow, getting up is a lot harder than she expected, and she winds up leaning back with a weak, blood rattling cough.

Morgan grunts thoughtfully as he listens. Could it have been deliberate? If so, blood demands blood and a shitload has been spilled already just on this floor. Once Layla holds the edges together, he starts wrapping the cloth around Asher's neck. As promised, it's tight and constricting but it'll hold the wound closed. Mostly. Not much to do about seepage. "Fine Cass. On your head be it." See what he did there?

"Can never be too bad ass," Layla quips. Doesn't she just have the best bedside manner? Of course she does. She's a mother fuckin' angel. "And Devin's right. Biological warfare isn't new, so we shouldn't rule it out." Black Plague, anybody? Smallpox in the blankets? If she wasn't so focused on her task with Asher and Morgan just then, Layla would have whipped around to tell Fiona to sit back down and not go hang any white flowers. Instead she says, overly loud, "Or maybe you'll infect your contact."

"Legit." Kai croaks for Cassandra's opinion, fingers twitching slightly where she's touching Elias head. She gives up talking when she starts coughing again and winds up horfing blood onto the floor with a groan, not in any kind of condition to consider it further right now.

"They can keep their distance." Fiona insists stubbornly, and tries to get up again. "I can get them to come and keep their distance." Determindly, she rocks forward, and gets to her feet in a wobbly fashion.

"Fiona, stop." It's Cassandra again, voicing her opinions at death's door. She blinks up at the Tesla Ringleader with crimson-smeared eyelids, stabilising herself on her elbows with a woozy motion. She opens her mouth to speak again, clearly having something important to say — to her, at least — but ends up depositing a puddle of bloody sputum on the floor instead, shaking.

The arm not trapped under Elias' head is lifted until he's able to lay his hand on Kai's. "Hmm?" he questions her, opening one eye to a mere slit so he can settle his gaze on her. He's absolutely ashen in complexion and there are dark bags under his eyes. There is a glance around to those others speaking in the room, but he's content to lay quietly where he is. "Whuhssup? Keep..distance." Again, he coughs into his rag and groans.

"Oh…there is so." Asher replies to Layla in a much quieter whisper, "I could be so bad ass…" And then he falls silent and seems to have passed out. His breathing, while ragged, is still regular. His feature has reached very high levels and he seems to be entirely sapped of energy. Probably for the best.

"Told you so." Morgan says, not even obviously looking at Cass though he was keeping a corner of his eye on her as he worked on Asher. "The more you tax your body, the longer it'll take you to heal. So lie down and go to sleep." That little speech was for everyone's benefit.

With Asher stabilized, Layla pushes to her feet, intent on making another round for those who have since puked on themselves or cried too much blood to see…or oozed too much blood to hear? Let's not take it further, people have delicate sensibilities. The important thing is that she's helping, and eventually this brings her back to the fabulous trio of Elias, Kai and Cole. Sure, Fiona is still close by, but she's talking about leaving so that's why she's ejected and this is no longer a quartet. Devin and Cassandra are apparently the burdens of Morgan, though. That or she just hasn't made it over to them, take your pick.

Still, as Layla is applying a compress to Kai's forehead, she says, "Think about it, Fiona, you didn't get all that close to Cameron, and look at you now. It's not worth the risk. But…" She falls silent, thoughtful. "I've an idea, but you have to promise me you'll stay here, yeah?"

Devin's eyes slip closed again as he falls unconscious again, the blood still slowly and steadily flow from his nose and ear.

"We have to know. What this is, if we can get a cure. I can find out and I have to do it before I can't." She pushes off where she has her hand braced on the wall. "I handed him the water, we were close enough to touch, to share the same air. I have a way to get us answers, maybe a cure…you want me to just sit here?" she looks at Layla, a stubborn set to her features. "If we're lucky we could be cured in a matter of hours, maybe less."

"Apparently we pissed somebody off, Fi." Cole has passed out for a short time, then coming back around. "Wait…where did she go?" he asks, blearily, as if Fiona appeared and vanished in a fever dream.

"Wily as.. f-fuck." Kai explains to Elias. On one hand she's not going to complain about compresses on her forehead, on the other hand she can't help but croak at Layla,"Eli." like that's totally a request for her to look at him instead. Staying still is good, not to mention clinging to her 'security blanket' even if it's likely she couldn't pull the trigger right now, let alone little things like aim.

"Fiona…" Cassandra struggles to speak again, and not before spitting out the remaining blood that's picking borders around her teeth. She sneers down at her own bodily fluids, as disgusted by them as anyone else should be — or perhaps simply infuriated by the obstacle's existence. Looking back up towards the bob-haired girl, she repeats, "Stop. The Grounders are not your friends. I know you want them to be. I want them to be. But they made that clear. We are at war. Not peace. Not a ceasefire. Not right now. War. Sit your arse down before you take an arrow to the head too."

"He's next," Layla says to Kai. "I have time for everybody," and somehow she manages to pitch her voice to sound just that compassionate. Her brows are furrowed, however, as she wants to argue further with Fiona. There were so many things that could potentially go wrong, but the on the other hand argument was just as strong. But Cassandra was speaking up again, and damn if it wasn't a good point.

So, as she moves on to Elias, Layla says, slightly apologetic (but only slightly), "Don't make what Cassandra and Asher went through be in vain. And don't run off, when there are people here that look up to you - because it will look like you're running away." Was there a hint of sour meaning behind that? You'd better fucking believe it.

Morgan tucks the end of Asher's bandage into the main part to keep it secure and steps away. "Fi, their entire clan is at war with us and they're trying to kill us off with sickness before they get here. You'll never make it there and even if you did, we can't trust them."

Belatedly, "Fiona's still in front of you, Cole," Layla answers. "She's just standing." There's a squint in his direction.

Fiona lets out another cough, blocking it once more with her arm. "We're dying now, for all we know." she points out. "I don't have to go to Coesbur. I told you, I have a contact. If I signal them, they'll come. So what difference if I take an arrow to the head? Coesbur, or even just some of Coesbur, they don't want this war. I don't have to go further than just past our gate." But she's not moving toward the door anymore.

"M'fine," Elias says, giving a wave of his hand completely unconvincingly to Layla. "Just had to…" He yawns then which turns into more coughing and sputtering into the rag. "Asher weighs a ton." This is half-mumbled against the arm he's resting on, though he does have one eye open to look at people within his field of vision for the one eye. It settles on Layla then, though he doesn't seem quite ready to give up Kai's hand on his head until she draws back. "These colors..not supposed to be coming out of me," he mutters, holding up his gross rag just a little. "I call bullshit."

"You know, Fi…you once tried to stop me from leaving." Cole coughs from his spot. "Funny how our position are turned around. And if you leave, you're not only putting more people at risk for infection, but you might infect the only other group of people who many not want us all dead." There's a series of labored breaths. "And what if you bring this illness to them? What then? You could turn them on us too. Don't do that."

Cameron stirs a bit, waking from his fever dream to look around, stare at Elias. Why Elias? Who knows. "Morgan, why are you green with red spots. I would prefer yellow spots. Do yellow spots." And then he's slumping back into his bleeding and being fevered state. Intelligent contribution will not be had here.

"You don't know that," Cassandra counters, still looking up at Fiona. Her upper arms tremble as she struggles to keep upright, blinking and wincing away her pain and bleary vision. "I was there with you in Coesbur, Fi. Not all of them were happy to see us. Not all of them trust or like us. I have a contact there, too, and even he promised me that if their Heda commanded it, he'd put a spear through my chest. Even if a moment before we were laughing and smiling together and he gave me a fish." She looks towards Cole then, pursing her lips thoughtfully. "There are better ways you can help right now," she adds, and then says those fateful words that ninety-seven years ago, some other Earth genius likely also proposed.

"We could build a bomb. The dropship."

Kai's not moving her hand, nope. That requires effort. It's staying put on Elias' head. So she at least has a tactile idea of where he is given that she grunts at Layla by way of acknowledgment and closes her eyes again.

Jabira's been around, somewhere's on the sidelines. And upon waking up and hearing about the sicknes, she takes a moment to peer into the inside of the dropship where all those currently hacking up or dribbling out bodily fluids, are being kept. Oh yeah, this doesn't look good at all. She'll keep her distance, but listens to the various bits of banter going on and trying to figure out what's being discussed.

Defeated, Fiona's shoulders slump. She'd only taken a few steps, but the ones back to her former position and resuming her position with her head against Cole's leg. "I could give someone else the signal. Someone healthy." she suggests, her eyes closing. "But if they don't see me, they might not come." Her head cants to the side; she's started bleeding from the ears now.

"Yeah, so do I," Layla says to Elias, only she's referring to him being fine. There's a few more moments of fussing that he'll be forced to endure, but take heart! It's the same treatment she's giving anybody. Cole's up next, though he has to wait while she fist retrieves another clean cloth and some fresh water.

"We could," Layla retorts to Cassandra's idea. "But I don't want to fucking be on it when it goes." Pat pat, cold compress to fevered brow. "And if I'm honest, you're all worrying about the wrong thing right now. I hate to be the one to say it, but damn, you have to relax." What would they even do, this war party of the seriously ill?

Morgan moves over to Cam and kneels next to him. Reaching out, he brushes his forehead to take his temperature. "Shhh, Cam. Just rest. I'll be here to take care of you. Everyone is sick now so I'm not going anywhere." Or so it feels. "Let me get you a compress." Standing, he goes to get some rags and soak them, listening to the conversation. They don't even know if they'll be alive in the morning.

"Funny." Cole coughs. "I had warned Kai that some of the Ark Rebels would get the bright idea of trying to arm the fuel tanks into a bomb. Told her to make sure nobody messed with it. Take everyone they like, set a timer and run. Would get rid of all those pesky Loyalists." Pause. "That's what I would've done, anyways. Seems pretty mute anyways." Who knew the mechanic could be that malicious or cold? "But you want to build a bomb. I could, yeah. But then what? Run? Where? In what direction? With what supplies? How far would we have to go?" Then a large coughing fit, punishment for talking so much. A moment to spit out some blood. "I'll do it, just need figure out what to do when that happens."

Elias blinks a little at Cameron who suddenly wakes up and is evidently mistaking him for…Morgan? At the moment, his brain's a bit fried from the fever as well and he gives him a delirious look. "Morgan's not home," he utters in his croaking voice before gesturing in a random direction. "'S off…being surly at people. I think." Another confused look crosses his features, but he squeezes Kai's hand weakly as it rests on his head. Another look is given up to Layla then and he squints his eyes. "Nuh. Yer light as a feather." He does what he can to cooperate, but he's clearly weak and leaking things he's rather not. The fussing is resigned to after just a brief groan, unable to muster the energy for batty-slappy hands. "Why we building bombs now?"

Jabira blinks a few times when bombs are mentioned, brows to furrow as she tries to figure out that important question as well - Why? Clearing her throat slightly, she remainsnear the doorway, not coming in at all. She'll make offer to fetch more wate when it's needed, taking care to not touch anyone or anything as best she can for now.

<FS3> Layla rolls Alertness: Good Success.

Cassandra stares daggers into Cole, and sends a brief glance from his eyes to his wrist. "I didn't say… blow the Dropship," she replies. "I said… build a bomb. But not all of us are murdering fucking psychopaths."

She has definitely had enough of lying around. Cass now rises to her knees, and has all the hallmarks of a daring Rebel about to make a literal stand, eyes clenched shut with determination. It would be very impressive, if only she would get so far, but instead she staggers and nearly falls on her face. Rolling herself onto her right side to avoid further bruising the skull fracture on her left, her body shakes with several more coughs before she closes her eyes. Dead. (Just kidding, she's asleep.)

Layla sighs, watching Cole as he spits more blood. Recognizing that her calls to stop talking about bombs was more or less going to go unheeded, she decides to do the only sane thing and join back in. "We don't need the whole dropship to go. What we need is to wound these grounders so badly that they don't want to take a second swipe at us. So…" Cole's face? Getting wiped clean. Well, as clean as can be. Don't move, Cole, or she'll push that rag right into your face and hold you down. "Instead, we should focus on making, well, smaller bombs." Hello, my dear focus in chemistry. Make yourself useful.

About that time, however, Layla notices Jabira at the entryway and she snaps out, "You, girl," 'cause she don't know your name. "If you're not sick, and I mean, seriously not sick, fetch me some more water." Oh dear, Cassandra didn't look so good just then, Cole is abandoned in order for Layla to make sure Cassandra isn't actually dead.

Jabira straightens when words are snapped out in her direction. "Not sick." But a nod is quickly given, and she turns to leave, disappearing long enough for her to grab a bucket or something to get fresh water in for the dropship. It's brought back, and leaning as far in as she's willing to go, she places it on the floor, "Here.. fresh water." A pause, and she adds, "It's Jabira. For future reference." Meaning, she'll stick close enough to be shouted at if and when they might need more water inside.

Cam settles down when Morgan tends to him, nodding, and sorta just staring. And bleeding. But. He's not like, awful dying or anything, at least. Some are worse for sure.

Fiona blinks awake, or maybe she was just closing her eyes. "Could you build it like a…what are they called. The bombs that only blow in one direction?" A hand goes up, absently pat-pats Cole's leg. "Mimi had an idea. We could all hide in the dropship and the explosion could blow," she makes a vague gesture with her hands, "Outward." Then, "Jabira…you're not sick?"

Kai's just.. quiet at the moment, listening, but really, not contributing right now, it's all she can do to stop herself from going in to convulsive coughing, hovering somewhere near delirious as she squeezes Elias' hand,"War." is what she croaks as reminder at Elias, mumbling more quietly,"We're fucked anyways."

"I'm sure that we could," Layla replies. Convinced that Cassandra isn't dead, she tries her best to put the girl in a more comfortable position and commences with the cleaning; next comes Devin. Others are soon to follow. "Thanks, Jabira," when the other girl returns with the water. "Morgan and I aren't sick, either," only she's LYING. She's totally sick. "Even so, do your best to remain out of close contact with any of us."

Morgan returns to Cam with a damp cloth and some water. "Here, drink." he says, holding the cup to his lips. Then he'll place the cloth on his forehead. Looking over when he hears his name, he adds "Yet."

"No, not sick… but I was on patrol last night, and ended up sleeping outside." Hopefully it was nice enough for that! A quick nod is given Layla-wards, "Don't plan on it.. I'll do fetching and such, as needed." Another pause, and she adds, "And let others know that if they haven't come inside, to stay outside. If we get anyone sick, send 'em in." Words. Rambling. She really doesn't like dealing with sick people. They make her nervous.

"Layla…you could take her aside and tell her what to do. She could talk to him for us. She's healthy." Fiona's head rolls to the side. "I'm thirsty." Her voice is pitched in a whine, which must, if bleeding from various orifices and a fever aren't a clue, indicate she's definitely sick. "It's so hot."

Cam leans up slightly, and drinks the water. He promised to obey and he seems to remember that, because he doesn't hesitate. Sighing softly, he leans back as the cloth settles over his feverish forehead, "You're the best. Love you." That might be awkward when his fever breaks.

Kai passes out for a while, perhaps mercifully for her.

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