Well, ok, so, this is kinda weird. I like to write fanfiction and have written a few stories here and there and posted them on my story site. I am not a writer or any way associated with media/writing (thus you will see grammar boo-boos, trite use of language, I tell instead of showing, adverbs are my friend, POV switches many times, cliché’s out the wazhoo and all the other rulers writers have I tend to break), I just like fanfiction and RPing and writing. So, this is not a stellar story, it’s just, something I wanted to jot down.
Now, the story is based in the storyworld of World of Depleted (
http://worldofdepleted.com), which has not had any of the movies or such released yet, just a journal from one of the characters, a few ARG movies and some trailers and discussion of upcoming films. The site did release a basic overview of the world to encourage others to create, well, I was inspired and thus begins the story of Josephine and Minako. Check here for the Living in the World of Depleted info -
http://worldofdepleted.com/world/livingworldNow, this is a rough, real rough draft. I read the world of Depleted story overview Thursday night and wrote the first rough draft of what is below by Friday morning. It’s not very polished or such and there are elements I will go and change or fill in once the World of Depleted movies come out and hopefully provide a little backstory (weird things like if this is about a year after the Fall – would it be summer or winter, and need some geographic locations of the events in WoD to better place the two ladies and such). So that said – the two characters are intro’d below. When I write with my writing groups and RP people we usually pick actors and such to represent the characters because it helps in visualizing scenes and such – well I have done that for these characters. I adore Ms. Cox and Ms. Gershon and well, the imagery helps when I write.
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Josephine P. Baynham (avatar Christina Cox)
Age: About 35
Profession: Assistant professor at a smaller four year college in the IT department. Specialized in networking and security
Background (not much now, will fill in later) – father landed a job in London and moved the family there when she was 6 months old. Grew up there, went through school, then came over to the States for grad school, kicked around in a couple of computer companies and then landed the job at the college three years before the Fall.
Minako Yoshimoto (avatar Gina Gershon)
Age: About 45
Profession: Professor at a smaller four year college in the medical school. Has been teaching for over eight years and is dedicated to her teaching. Was known as the Surgical Bitch as she was always cold, professional and very critical, failing many students. They needed her classes to continue and she always maintained a very professional rigor.
Background (not much now, will fill in later) – was adopted by a Japanese-American family when she was one year old (born in New Orleans). Her family was tied strongly to Japanese culture and that figured prominently in her upbringing (she spent many years in Japan during her childhood years). She excelled at school and was finished high school when she was 17, moving straight to college and finishing her undergraduate by the time she was 20, then going straight to med school. She spent most of her residency time in ER and trauma and then completed a fellowship in Nephrology. She was offered a job teaching around the same time there was a major incident at the hospital and that lead to her taking the job at the college. She threw herself into the teaching as she was convinced it was a lackadaisical education system that had created the doctors that lead to the incident and other mistakes and errors she'd witnessed. She vowed to save lives by bettering the education system so that only the best got through.
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Title: Getting Business Done
Author: docwho2100
Story: World of Depleted (with original characters)
Pairing: F/F and who knows what else
Rating - R
DISCLAIMER - World of Depleted is property of Viking Productions Inc. No infringement intended.
“Black false hellebore is known for it’s emetic properties. It was often thought to be useful in inducing labor. Hmm, I should use this to make some tea for Josephine,” Minako murmured as she turned the page to reveal another series of columns filled with herbs and their medical properties. "I know, I know, Minako play nice.”
She rubbed at the bridge of her nose, the book flopping to her chest as she pushed up a bit more on her makeshift bed, the flame from her candle wafting in the faint breeze her book had made. A thunk and then a moan came from the wall behind her head. She closed her eyes, an exasperated look growing on her face.
“Oh god baby that’s…” the words degraded into another moan. After a moment the feminine voice once again picked up, filtering through the thin wall, “your tongue, use your tongue, ahhhh…”
Minako was tempted to bang on the wall, but she knew better. She knew there was more than a quick lay going on in the next room. With a heavy sigh, the released breath ruffling her dark bangs, she picked her book up and tried to ignore the sounds from the next room as she let her eyes readjust to the low light level once more so she could continue her reading.
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A faint knocking sound on the door startled Minako out of her light sleep; a faint whisper pushing through the door. "Minako? You awake?"
"Barely,” she grunted as she began pulling herself up, her hand already clutching the metal asp she kept with her at all times; Josephine had dubbed it the teddy bear as Minako cuddled with it each night. A habit the doctor had picked up after the incident at New Haven.
"You know you have this really sexy husky voice when you wake up all frumpy and grumpy."
"Did you not get enough with your little student earlier that you have to make a sexual innuendo?"
Josephine Baynham did not answer, rather shuffled across the dark room, feeling her way to the edge of the bedding where Minako was resting. She sank into a cross-legged lotus position near the side of the bedding. "I got what we needed, she'll get us the codes and you will get your books," her answer delivered in a neutral tone. "You really are a bitch when you wake up. Dreaming again?"
"No, nothing tonight, it was too noisy to sleep properly."
"Well you know how those young studs are, all noise and flash, I use to be one myself."
Minako made a grunting noise as she sat up fully, pushing back to lean against the wall. She could not really see her traveling companion in the dark, but she'd been with the woman long enough to know while that was delivered as a joke, the other woman's right eye would twitch a little, a small tic Josephine displayed when upset; Minako knew references to age were always touchy for the computer professor. It was amazing how much she had picked up in the last year about Josephine. A woman she had worked with, in a sense, for three years and had barely noticed more than the color of the woman’s hair. Yet now, in the Fallen world, one had to be mindful of details, details often made the difference between survival and extinction.
"She'll take us tomorrow, then we can swing back by the little settlement and give them your gift and then…" Jo left the sentence open as their plans were probably open as well. She'd never been one to plan or worry much about where she was going before the Fall, so this particular piece in her current lifestyle was not too much of a stretch. However, she would like a little more direction now and then.
"And then we head West as we discussed," Minako finished not sure what Jo might be prodding at. "Thank you for modifying that e-reader. They'll be able to use the books for teaching; not just the medical volumes, but there are other works on there as well."
"God Bless Google for being grubby and sticking its grimy hands into other fields to convert all those books to digital. Although it would be funny to see you carting around some of those volumes," Jo shook her head, chuckling. “You know students always accused professors of picking the thickest books as torture."
"Students always look for the easiest path and complain when it looks like they might need to work," Minako replied.
"I can just see you dragging this sack of huge Gray’s Anatomy books behind you. Minako Yoshimoto the medical equivalent of Johnny Appleseed crossing the country, planting her seeds of wisdom and trying to single handedly rebuild something that is dead and gone"
"You do not have to mock me."
"Yes I do and you know you love it, that's why you keep me around."
"No I keep you around so you can bang former students. Old habits die hard it seems," Minako sighed and rubbed at her face. "Sorry, I should not have said that; I am sure you got your fill of vicious rumors as they circulated through the campus mill."
"Who said they were rumors?"
Minako looked up sharply, leaning forward to try and pierce the dark to see Jo's face; sometimes she really hated the dark, it hid so much. "Still enjoying the playgirl façade? Everytime I turned around there was another piece of gossip about that young professor in the IT department. Let's see, there were the student affairs, the fact you forged some of your credentials and were not really that versed in your field, you slept your way into your position, you were doing questionable research."
Jo said nothing.
As the silence stretched, Minako gave a forced laugh, "come on, deny them, say they were a bit of rubbish or some other British phrase you enjoy throwing at me."
"There were only three students." Jo's statement was followed by a long pause. "And I did use the campus resources for a number of, side projects. I mean it was a perfect cover, if any of my activity was ever discovered I could just say it was a student activity or academia project."
"You…" Minako trailed off.
"It was a bit of fun and diversion. Remember that whole Wikileaks thing? The assorted hack attacks? I had bots on almost every computer on campus and many of the student computers. The tumblr vs 4chan war was a hoot too."
"Are you the reason my Internet connection periodically slowed?"
"Guilty as charged. Hey graduate students are always eager for "projects". One semester we did a study to see how far we could spread certain backdoor programs. Each student took a different delivery form so we could compare. You know traditional delivery versus flash drives vs.."
"Stop, I really don't want to know this."
"No, you don't, neither did most of the others, which is why I never had any problems sailing through each ethics hearing."
More silence passed before Minako dared to ask a question, "did you really get your job as they intimated?"
"Because I was the College President's mistress?"
Minako nodded even though she knew Jo could not see her.
"Yeah, that's about it. She was sick of her husband who was flinging every time she turned around. I heard about the position opening and one of my friends at IBM said I should try. I was drunk and said sure. I'd met her a few weeks before that, at one of the college's bugger alumni functions, which my friend had attended and dragged me along to. Well, somehow this led to that and I was in her bed. I happened to mentioned the job, she happened to mention she liked having a little side thing and so we used each other."
"You had no problem being used?" Minako scoffed.
"Minako, we all are users, and many are abusers, don't ever believe otherwise."
"So I am just a user than? Why do you stay with me?" Minako demanded
"What the hell else am I going to do?" Jo slapped the floor in frustration. "There's nothing else really, and who better to hook up with than a doctor, self-preservation and all that. Besides, you saved my life," her voice lowered, becoming distance as she turned away from Minako, "I owe you."
Minako was silent, not caring to relive the incident Jo referenced, although her quick mind provided the events and memories regardless.
"Why do you stay with me?"
"Would it fit if I said I am a user," Minako said sarcastically, sighing as she rubbed her face. "This will sound stupid."
"And you sounding daft is new, how?" Jo said, trying to relieve the tension as she sensed a shift in Minako 's manner.
"Well, as you said, self-preservation and even though there are some that say it is the work of the devil, I believe in technology, and you've been very helpful in trying to help me with my goal."
"Obsessed crusade."
"Fine Jo, obsessed crusade. But, well, the reason I found you, was able to save your life, well. You know those dreams I have."
"Nightmares, and you only vaguely mention and then leave off, which is very frustrating by the way."
"I know, it's frustrating to me too. But well, you've been in a few of them. There have been others, like this odd man who acts like a hunter and I've seen him killing this boar and some of the horrific events, like the plague mass graves. But from the dreams with you in them, I knew I needed to find you and then to, well…" Minako ceased her explanation, feeling too embarrassed to continue.
"You realize what you just told me is way beyond daft, you're rounding the bend to full fledge nutter."
A humorless laugh floated across the darkness. "Why do you think it took me this long to tell you? You're the first I've ever really told this much."
"Awww, I got to pop your insane nightmare virgin cherry."
"Must you always do that?"
"Yes, it' my defensive mechanism, just like sinking yourself into this Don Quixote quest is yours."
"I'm impressed you know enough literature to use that reference."
"Eh, it was a clue in one of these ARGs I use to play."
This time Minako 's laugh was mirthful. She blinked a bit as it seemed lighter. "Sun's coming up, guess I should try for another hour or two rest. And you should get back to what's her name."
"Cheryl," Jo shrugged, "she passed out, she's not missing anything."
"You realize I am not going to feed your ego by commenting on that."
Jo leaned closer, smirking, "Come on, make a joke about my stamina, or even a medical reference if you like. I've gotten use to you always being stuck in teacher mode."
"Someone has to be mature and responsible, besides…"
"It's all you've ever had," Jo finished, no tease or maliciousness evident.
"Yes, it is."
They were both quiet a bit more, the morning light turning the room a dusky blue. Minako looked at Jo now that she could better see the contents of the room, her eyes first narrowing and then going wide as she scrambled a little and turned away, Jo's laughter chasing her. "What's the matter doctor? I just didn't feel like putting my shirt back on."
"Not funny."
"Oh I am laughing my ass off."
"So glad you are enjoying a large dose of schadenfreude."
"Loving every minute I can torture you doc. It's just a little skin…"
Minako grimaced, looking back a little, but keeping her eyes averted. "I think you need to go put your shirt back on."
"Only if you'll read to me."
Minako swiveled to look fully at Jo, her eyes trained on the woman's face, brown eyes meeting green. "I do not like being made fun of…"
"Oh I know that is one of you high and almighty pet peeves, so trust me, not making fun. I just, don't feel like sleeping or going back to the other room. I noticed you were reading some of your new books, the ones you got so chuffed over."
Minako looked down at the slim paperback books. "Thank you for getting them for me. I…"
Jo waved a hand to dismiss the thanks, knowing it was hard for Minako to offer the words. "Hey no sweat, it was easy peasy stuff doing some work for that couple and they let me pick a couple books. I thought you'd like the medicine stuff. I did listen as you went on and on about field medicine when we were walking through Georgia. Well, mostly, I was also kinda thinking about other things."
"I will be glad you listened at least a little," Minako paused, but then added as an afterthought "What were you thinking about?"
"Well, I was just thinking wouldn't it be cool to find a projector and set up a sheet or something outside and have like a drive in movie one night."
Minako arced an eyebrow, not use to this side of Jo. "It could be…"
"Yeah, just one night at the movies. Something I use to never do really. It was so expensive and those seats were never comfortable, the food blah and I always ended up sitting next to someone who talked the whole time. But, well, I kinda miss it."
Minako nodded as she leaned across the bed, just grabbing hold of her pack, dragging it toward her. She rummaged through it, finding a T-shirt and throwing it at Jo. "Put this on while I get set."
"Aww now you are giving me gifts. Be careful or they might talk about us being an item."
Minako stuck out her tongue before scooting back to lean against the wall, angling her body so she could use the growing light to read. "I was thinking of using what I found in here to make you some of the tea you love."
"Always so thoughtful, I'll have to try to think of something nice I can do for you."
"Maybe try going a whole 24 hours without one joke."
"I'm not sure I can quit cold turkey, maybe I get three?"
"You are always one to bargain, fine, three," Minako smiled a bit and once Jo was situated, she moistened her lips and began reading.
