Appetence

Archive Log: 48

Minerva sat quietly against the wall, her eyes fixated on the sleeping female curled up on the opposite side of the small room. Languidly blinking, Minerva looked to Elizabeth's hands. She laid clutching onto a photograph she had salvaged from the Prometheus; it was of herself and Charlie, his arm around her shoulders, both looking happy with smiles on their faces. With a sigh, Minerva leaned her head back against the wall behind her, her eyes slowly shut as she silently sat and listened. All she could hear were Elizabeth's breaths, slow yet heavy sounding, the engine thrumming lowly, and her own breaths. It was otherwise silent, unworldly in a way with how the silence settled over the room, yet that was the norm now.

There hadn't been a state in change for months, Minerva presumed it was months. Time didn't make sense in space, being in this ship had cut them all off. She didn't know what the date was. She probably would if she looked in Elizabeth's journal. She practically wrote in it every day. But then that was privacy invasion, and somehow Minerva felt she probably wouldn't like what she would read. Hearing a quiet murmur, her eyes opened and she looked down. Elizabeth was dreaming. A frown appeared on her pale face as she turned, the photograph being let go as she turned onto her other side. Pushing herself away from the wall, Minerva leaned up on her haunches and crept over. Almost crawling silently, she turned the frame over. Her mouth turning downwards as she looked at Charlie's face.

"Pfft," she said under her breath. "Annoying man." Whispering, she turned and placed the photograph on the small table. It was littered with maps, David's drawings, and Elizabeth's journal and pen rested near the edge. Empty packets of rationed food also scattered the surface, and was actually in parts over the floor too. Side eyeing Elizabeth one more time, Minerva turned and crawled back to her original resting place. Sitting cross legged and blank faced, she looked at the doctor's back. All she seemingly did nowadays was sleep. She'd get up for a walk, which would last a few minutes before having to stop.

A few times Minerva had just been sitting in this room, and in David would come, Elizabeth weak in his arms. He'd lean down and gently place her back within her bed. Despite her trying to get back up, David would place a hand to her shoulder and urge her to rest. He was currently off collecting food for her from the hydroponic garden. Elizabeth's rations ran out yesterday, or earlier, Minerva was uncertain. But she had ran out of food. The fruit which was growing within the garden was finally being eaten, or at least it was about to. It wasn't like it could run out, unless it was over picked so much that it couldn't grow back.

Minerva sniffed, starvation would be slow. Painful even. It was already clear it was slowly taking a hold of Elizabeth. Not getting the nutrients she needed, her body was slowly shutting down. Blinking when she heard footfalls, she looked to the door. David looked in, troubled expression on his face before looking at Minerva. He walked in, kneeling at the table to place a small handful of fruit down before turning. He reached over and shook Elizabeth by the shoulder. It was hard really to see someone who had such energy, and such life to suddenly seem half of that person now. She seemed smaller, frailer. Her long auburn hair framing her pale face as her eyes seemed darker, lifeless even whenever they looked at him.

This journey had changed her, although it had changed them all, David couldn't say otherwise really. "Elizabeth, you need to eat." By his calculations, she hadn't had anything within the last twenty-four hours. Having an internal clock made keeping track of time easy for him, not so much for his synthetic counterpart. There was a discouraged murmur from the sleeping woman, even a spindly fingered hand rose to swat his away. Yet David didn't give up. "You must eat. You have to keep your strength up." What strength she seemingly had left, that was.

"You are right, David." Elizabeth glanced over her shoulder at him, he just smiled softly and nodded. Turning, he picked up fruit from the table and held it out to her. Elizabeth shakily sat herself up, turning and rearranging the cover across her legs she sighed heavily. "Thank you, David." She took the purple fruit from him, he just smiled some more before nodding and filling up a cup of water for her. He managed to find a container, rather jug like to store water within to save numerous trips back to the garden.