"Maybe... Just maybe we'll find some people, and as for food, I do have some rations if you want them now?"
Christy shook her head gratefully, but was reassured by the affirmation that they did have access to something should she need it - a digestable safety net, of sorts. She wasn't quite hungry but she suspected she was burning a lot of nervous energy at present, which would in time need refuelling.
"And by the way... I know you're fine, you always look so fine"
Christy blushed, avoiding his eyes. His expression was teasing but she daren't let herself consider what she thought he may be implying. She was the scientist workaholic, permanently clad in lab coats and safety goggles. She'd never been the type that people noticed. Of course, he was only joking, she repeated to herself. But still the blush remained.
They stepped into part of large, white lab and though it was completely alien and foreign to her, she felt a shred of comfort at stepping into a familiar environment. She inhaled deeply - ah, there it was. That chemical lab smell, just like in her own era. She grinned.
"My country Christy... It's... It's gone..."
Christy's attention was drawn by the utter despair in Jeffrey's voice. Ignoring the desks she'd just been marvelling at, she approached him and caught sight of the headlines of the newspaper he was clutching. Wordlessly, she scanned to headline story and saw what he was referring to. At firstm she didn't believe it - the USA? How could anyone take that country on? But slowly, it dawned on her.
"J-Jeffrey, I'm so sorry," she said, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. It was not the exciting discovery they had been anticipating and she stared at him, worriedly. Blessed with a brilliant memory and logical mind, empathic skills - such as reassurance - did not come naturally to her. She had emotions - oh, she definitely had them - but expressing them was a different matter altogether. She prised the article out of his hand and slid it into her bag, keeping her eyes trained on him.
"Give that to me," she said gently "Don't torture yourself by studying it further. You've heard the facts. But, more pressingly, we've got to discover who owns this lab. And whether they're friend or foe."
