Nova pushed her sunglasses up to her hair before curling her fingers around the wheel again. The sun had gone, and instead, clouds loomed above, trapping the humid air in Belize. Her jeep left behind a trail of dust as she drove down the winding road toward the place they were all supposed to meet up. It was both terrifying and exciting. Through Kai, Nova had learned that there would be familiars for her there; Nick and Cosette de Villiers. While she wasn't overly familiar with Nick aside from their experience together, she couldn't help but feel excited about seeing Cosette. Guess almost dying together, twice, creates a bond. Supposedly, the final person of their team hailed from Mechozs. That should be interesting.
The wind blew on her face, cooling off the warmth of her skin that had made it turn slightly red. She wasn't made for this type of climate, at all. Her hair was up in a ponytail, her attire fit for the expedition, not the weather. Her dresses were left at home while she wore green fitted cargo pants and a light yellow, airy t-shirt. Her backpack with supplies was wobbling on the backseat as she took a turn with the jeep. They should be close. Nova glanced at her navigation before looking over at Annelise, sitting beside her. It was clear they had gone shopping for their clothes, together.
The expert researcher couldn't quite get a grasp on Annelise's current emotions, but she knew her goal. Knew what she wanted to find her, and why. And Nova knew she wanted to help her achieve that while trying to keep her safe. Swallowing, Nova tried to push down the memories of a year ago. She couldn't let anything happen to her. After clearing her throat, she spoke up. "It's going to be okay. I'll be right there with you."
One gentle smile later, Nova put her eyes back on the road as she came to their destination. As she parked, the woman desperately tried to make herself believe it, too. At first, her husband wasn't too fond of the request for Nova to come on this expedition. The husband in him wanted to lock her up in the bedroom, yet the boss in him knew she was the most fit for the job. After all, she was both the lead researcher in CDE and had first-hand experience with its power. Still, he had to stay back. A company to run, and all.
The jeep doors slammed shut as Nova and Annelise exited, grabbing their belongings from the back as they approached those already there. With a smile, she greeted both Nick and Cosette once they were in conversational distance. "It's so great to see you again, Cosette! You look very well."
With her hands on her hips, she looked up at the stunning ruins in front of her. The Caracol Ruins. It was breathtaking, even in its current altered state. And while the more archaeology and history-inclined people among them would likely be fascinated by the ruin and its history, Nova's eyes were already focussed on the sheen making it clear that CDE was active here. The clear multichromatic colours cascaded the old ruins like they had been dipped in an oil slick. This was definitely not like it looked in the pictures. Her hands itched to take samples, to further research what was going on but knew patience would be a virtue. Instead, she turned to see the final member arriving, a woman unknown to Nova. She gave the woman a polite nod and was about to extend her hand when her vision gave way to purple mist.
At first, Nova thought her retina augmentation was having a misfunction, but a quick tab to the little device in her ear showed no errors. Immediately, her hand reached for Anne, who was luckily beside her. "Stay close." As her fingers curled around the girl's wrist, Nova's vision came back. It seemed they had been transported, a pearlescent CDE sheen all around them. She didn't hear the voice, but it showed up in her vision, making the woman squint before her eyes widened in disbelief. Naranjo? Orange Tree? She briefly glanced at Anne before letting her go, watching as the weapons suddenly dropped all around them and the unknown woman's little companion took flight above them. That thing seemed to be useful, indeed.
Her heart hammed. Nova wasn't exactly an experienced agent of any kind. Aside from last year's events, and her life with Kai, the wildest thing she ever did was going off the tall slide at the waterpark. She was a basement-dwelling scientist, damnit. Still, her marriage to Kai had influence, as she already heard Kai in her mind telling her what he always did. That she was so much more. She nodded more to herself than to anyone else as she glanced around, and took in the environment. Still, she might be capable, but one needs to know their strengths and weaknesses, and this was definitely looking more like the latter than the former. Besides, she didn't know a thing about the Mayans or their culture, aside from what she had read on her tablet on the plane to kill time.
Then, she turned to the woman who introduced herself as Jay. "Sta- Nova." Blasted be the codename. "And yes, I'd prefer if we wouldn't bludgeon each other. There must be some way to solve this. Right? Is your little friend picking something up?" The scientist pointed at the bird-like creature that circled above before looking at Nick. "I am counting on you to have a smart idea, Nick."
Nova spotted the holes that had opened up, and with a short motion of her finger, she used her retina augmentation to zoom in. "Yellow?" She looked at the other hole. "Red. White. Black. Hmm." Then, her gaze landed on an axe in front of her on the ground, oddly sharp and shimmering with the reflection of the CDE walls. "Sacrifice..." She said, more to herself than anyone else. Turning to Annelise, Nova swallowed hard. She has promised to keep her safe. To herself, to her husband, and to Annelise. If there was a sacrifice, it wouldn't be her. Yet.. "Sacrifice. Perhaps blood. Would blood be enough? You know, a non-deadly amount?"
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