xp_logs | Whistler: Jane and Monet, Wednesday Afternoon

There were parked and now probably (hopefully) not running cars parked all along the village's former main street, under the avalanche. One of the Canadian people from the conference, the one whose name Monet could never remember, but it was wanky, had told Monet and Jane to start checking vehicles, just in case and directed them to one end of the street, telling them to work back up it.

Jane looked doubtfully at the lumpy mass of snow that Captain Historiographic Metafiction had directed them to. If anyone was trapped under there...She shuddered at the thought. "I don't know what to do," she mumbled, more to herself than anyone else.

"What are your powers? I've been mostly listening for people in houses and things till now, with Tommy, but I don't know what you do?" The task was daunting and it was getting harder and harder for Monet to stay flippant and uncaring, as the night wore on.

"I turn into a cloud. I can-" Jane pressed her lips together and tried to fight off the sensation of being overwhelmed. Focus, Jane. Think about what you can do to help.

"Just a second," she said, and ran over to the side of a building that seemed to disappear into a shadowed alcove. Shifting, Jane soared out of her clothes and flew swiftly back to Monet, splitting first into two pieces, then four. I can do this, Jane's 'voice' drifted telepathically to the other woman.

Monet whistled. "That's pretty nifty. Look, do you want to search that side of the road and I'll do this one, then we can figure out the rest of it if we find anyone?" Monet started, flying in a grid pattern, up a couple of meters and then slowly looping around, back to where she'd started before moving forward again.

Janes 1, 2, and 3 headed off in the direction that Monet had indicated, slipping in and out of locked cars, sliding easily through cracks. Thankfully none appeared to have people in them. Jane 4 headed off toward a larger drift of snow, a little way off from the others. It just looked weird, like it hadn't yet settled. Jane 4 circled it twice before drifting lower.

Monet looked over at Jane 4. "Have you found something?" she called.

I think so, Jane 4 replied, but I'm not sure. Could you help me? I'd have to gather the other Janes up if I want to dig a hole, and there's still a lot of cars to check.

"Sure!" Monet hurtled over to Jane and carefully lifted up a lump of ice and began to shovel the snow underneath away with her hands. The drift moved slightly and she stopped. "Jane? Can you get down inside there at all, to make sure I'm not going to crush anything? That would be good."

Uh huh, Jane 4 swirled down into the hole that Monet had dug. The light quickly began to fade, and she started probing for natural cracks and ruptures in the snow. A soft spot in one of walls gave away to slight pressure and Jane twisted into a small gap between a slab of ice and some debris. You're okay, but there's some ice down here so go slow. There had to be something down here.

I can manage that. Monet nodded and went back to shifting the snow, working carefully and stopping whenever the drift moved. She listened carefully and heard something that sounded an awful lot like a mind would do if it wasn't doing very much thinking. I think there's something down there, Jane! It's probably unconscious? Or at least, I can't hear many thoughts, so... Monet trailed off and began to work faster.

A shaft of light lit the crevice Jane was in as Monet continued to move the snow back. Jane eased toward the far end as the other woman lifted a large branch out of the way, revealing something that flashed a metallic bright blue through the snow. I see something. I think it's a car! she called back before projecting at the buried object, Hello? Is anyone in there?

"I can see the windscreen..." Nothing inside the car yet, but she could see a corner of the windscreen. "Jane, I'm going to break in, so you can get a better look." Monet punched the glass, smashing a hole in it.

Okay. The glass shattered all around Jane, the falling prisms capturing the light as they fell. Quickly filtering into the badly tilted vehicle, she spied two immobile figures, uncomfortably held into place by their seat belts. Hello? Are you okay? Hello?

The driver was breathing shallowly and bruising badly, her face swollen and cut. The passenger... Jane's mind slid sideways at the sight of all the blood. The driver's alive, M, but I'm not so sure about the passenger.

Monet wriggled around until she could see through the window and blanched slightly at the sight of the blood. Oh god. "Hon, stay there, okay? I'm going to go and get a stretcher."

Jane floated beside the ambulance, watching the rescue workers lift out the first stretcher and begin heading towards her. I know we did good, but somehow it doesn't feel like it.

Monet nodded. "But we found them. That has to count for something, right?" The workers were slowly moving across the ice back toward the aid stations. Monet reached out to give Jane a hug, her arm sliding through the cloud-form. "Come on. Let's get a cup of tea." The girl was so far beyond exhausted right now that she was showing a far more honest face to the world than she normally did.

Sure, Jane said, her tone warming as the pair made their way away from the scene. We just have to pick up Jane 3. There's this little girl and a puppy...