So I wrote this as part of OzQueene's Yuletide Letter on Dreamwidth. I have no idea how to post this to the Dreamwidth site so I'm posting here instead. It's a little late, sorry Lisa!
I just love her latest addition to the 100 Situations anthology (Chapter 29). I was fascinated by the way Wheeler used the shield analogy to describe Linka's temperament in his interactions with her. It was really eloquent.
I wanted to explore that analogy from Linka's point of view. I guess a little window into her thoughts and feelings. Why she is the way she is. So this is my attempt, hope you all like it.
This will be a series of small snap-shots, culminating around the fifth chapter.
Impenetrable
Chapter One
23rd December
She sits stiffly; her back rigid as she stares out of the Geo-Cruiser windows. Her green eyes scan the glistening water below but her mind is anything but calm.
Her jaw is tense as her gaze switches from the horizon to the back of Kwame's head. Their leader is sitting at the control panels, piloting them somewhere over the vast expanse of the Red Sea. Bringing them home.
He knows she is annoyed. All too aware of her sullen disposition since leaving Bulgaria after an intense few days locating and chasing polluters through underground sewer systems.
The Russian shifts in her seat, pressing her knees together and maintaining the correct posture in spite of the long flight ahead.
Do not slouch.
Shoulders back, child.
Chin up.
Her father's voice resonates through her subconscious, drawn forth like it was yesterday. She shakes the memory away but her body remains actively upright, regardless of her ability to bury the ingrained lessons.
Linka purses her lips and glances at the others. Gi is sitting in the seat opposite her, crouched over the back of Kwame's chair. She's laughing over his shoulder and pointing towards the console.
Impossibly bubbly, outgoing and comfortable in her own skin. Easy-going. Laid-back. Care-free. Everything that Linka is so evidently not.
Hot jealousy flares for the briefest of seconds before the Russian squashes it. Every now and again the Water Planeteer glances back towards the blonde sitting so rigidly in her seat, before murmuring quietly in Kwame's ear.
Linka knows they are talking about her. Discussing the argument. Their perceived over-reaction to Linka's earlier outburst. But if they had only listened. The Russian's plan of attack had been logical. She had campaigned passionately and had been disregarded; the others preferring to follow a certain red-head's impulsivity.
They hadn't listened to her.
She observes them quietly for a while with narrowed eyes. Gi catches Linka's sullen expression and smiles, a reassuring gesture that is returned in a much smaller measure by the blonde.
Linka looks away and sighs, staring down at her hands. She grips the hem of her shorts with clenched fists and straightens her back again.
Posture is important, malyshka.
Her eyes flick towards her remaining team-mates.
Ma-Ti is directly behind Linka. She can hear the muffled sounds coming from his ear buds, the rainforest music that leaves his mind devoid of the side effects that occur even when his ring is not in use.
Wheeler is asleep. His chin is resting against his chest and his body is slumped down low in the seat. His long legs are propped awkwardly up against the back of Gi's chair and his hand hangs limply, skimming the floor of the cabin below. Her brow furrows as she studies his limp hand, noting the long, stocky fingers and the calluses marking the skin of his palm; a testament to the heavy-duty lifting of both supplies and weights.
Her gaze trails up his arm towards his forearms, noting the muscular biceps and the veins visible under his skin. She swallows, her mouth dry as her mind wanders for the briefest fraction of a second. But as always she pulls it together.
Damn Yankee.
Her forehead touches the glass. It's cool against her skin and she reaches out, trailing a path over the window with her fingertip. Her breath leaves a foggy imprint and she tracks her index finger through the condensation that has formed. She blinks and wipes it away, careful not to leave any smudges or marks on the surface.
Cleanliness is next to Godliness.
She glances towards Gi and Kwame. They are whispering again; heads together. Silent conspirators.
But Linka knows she will rise above it. Science and logic will always endure over emotion and impulse. She is a sealed vault, afloat in a sea of chaos and disorganised thoughts. She will allow nothing to shake her core beliefs and values.
Because she is independent.
Strong.
Impervious to negativity.
She is impenetrable.