Gooooood morning/ evening/ or night everyone! I first off would like to apologize for the super massive delay on this instalment... I lived at work, then some legal shit happened at my sister's college with this other sweet being obnoxiously loud and banging on peoples doors... long story short they were cited 7 or 8 times, 2 of them were kicked out and the rest were separated and I don't think my parents are going to stop until this one guys that works there gets fired because he did jack shit and was a chauvinistic prick. Then my senior years of high school started... Trust me, I care just as little as all of ya'll probably do. And if you do think that's awesome, care to share some of the enthusiasm (?) because I have absolutely none. The loss of faith in humanity when a freshman pulls his jeans down to his ankles to show off the beer themed underwear he purchased from American Eagle (which is also the hellish retail job that I work at) you tend to just sigh in disappointment. And now, as I'm writing this, I'm getting over a damn cold, lovely way to start off the school year... Woo –freaking-hoo! Now it is 12:30 am, 9/7/2014 and a rainy 61 degrees F in western New York, that I'm finally preparing to upload this thing. Like always, sit/ lay back, grab your drink of choice and your cuddle buddy of choice and enjoy the latest instalment of Unexpected! :D
Disclaimer/ P.S.: ALL RIGHTS RESERVED AS NORMAL FOR NIFTY. ALSO REMEMBER TO DONATE TO NIFTY SINCE THEY PROVIDE THIS FREE READING SERVICE TO ALL! THANK YOU:)
Chapter 3: Death is Not too Far...
"How much stuff are they bringing on here?" Skeeter asked. A line of people were loading supplies onto the ship for Peter's research to continue.
I scratched my head as well as the endless supply of stuff was being brought on.
"That's a good question."
"That must have been some work they were doing in that lab." If only he knew the half of it...
"Commander Hawthorn?" a female's voice asked. I turned to face a smaller dark skinned woman and a tanned man. They were both dressed in scrubs and lab coat.
"How may I help you?" I asked.
"We were sent my President Wade to assist Dr. Savannah with his research." She said. They both held out their hands.
"I'm Dr. Samantha Covington." She said as I shook her hand.
"And I'm Dr. George Chavez." He said as I did the same.
"The lab is on the second floor. Go down the main hall and up the stairs. That opens up to the communications room take a left." I said. "Dr. Savannah is there as well." They both nodded and walked past Skeeter and I into the ship.
"The president sent them?" Skeeter asked.
"It's a long story that I really don't feel like getting into right now." I said. I was tired. It had been one hell of a day and all I wanted to do right now was get into my bed.
"Commander, if you're tired, I can wait and watch over things so you can sleep." Skeeter said. I shook my head.
"Thanks Skeeter, but I can wait." I said. He nodded and we both returned to watching as the line of people filtered in and out with stuff. Eventually, we were given the all clear to go as the last of the supplies were in place. No sooner did I give the word to Parker to ready the engines.
Skeeter and I walked into the cargo bay as the bay door closed and sealed behind us.
"I'll see you tomorrow morning Commander, I'm heading to bed." Skeeter said as he yawned heavily. I too yawned after, no shock there.
"I'm not too far off of that myself. Just need to check a few things..." I trailed off as my mind started to wander to the day that I've had; Peter and the President in one day is just too much. I just focused on my breathing as I walked up the stairs the main level. Skeeter went right to his room and I went left to go upstairs. As I passed by the windows I saw that we were in the air getting ready to leave the atmosphere. The world below the ship was getting smaller and the continents were starting to take shape as the sky above turned to black.
"Hey." He said softly. I snapped out of my gaze out the window and turned toward him.
"Hey yourself." I said. Damn I didn't even hear him coming down the hall. I can't zone out like that. He gave me a peculiar look like he's studying my face or something scientific.
"You alright?" he asked. I nodded my head and turned slightly back towards the window.
"Yeah, just..." I stopped and shook my head. Just want to hold you in my arms again.
"Long day for you too then." He said and leaned on the window. "That was the first time in six years that I've been on Earth, and I got to spend it... like that." He said harshly. I sighed and leaned on the window as well.
"Sorry..." I whispered allowed.
"Not your fault President Wade is an asshole." He said empathetically.
"That will never change." I said. We were well into the stars now, wherever Parker was taking us.
"Yeah..." he said mostly to himself as he looked at his feet. We were quiet then, neither of us looking at each other either.
"I, uh..." he started. I looked up at him and he blushed.
"What's up?" I asked raising an eyebrow.
"Where will I be sleeping?" he asked nervously. Why he would be nervous about asking that I have no clue.
"Follow me." I said and started walking.
We were silent during the short walk it took to get to the empty bunk room. As we approached his room I pointed to the door across the hall.
"That's my room so if you ever need anything..." and god how I mean anything, "... just knock." I said. He gave me a small grin and walked toward the door. It slid open and he walked into the larger bedroom that was probably the same size as mine. It was white paneled floors, walls, and ceiling but had blue accents in the floor spaces and furniture. The bed was a king with blue sheets. There was a large bay window and a couch bench in front of the window.
"When you go to sleep, just pull the dial down..." I lowered the brightness switch and the white... everything darkened to a dark grey, making the room more normal colored. Peter looked around the room until he plopped on the side the mattress; his hand lazily dragging across the linens.
"Is everything okay? Do you need anything?" I asked. He looked up at me for a moment and then shook his head.
"Everything is..." he looked around the room again. It wasn't much but it was clean, comfortable, and gave him his space. "... Thank you, Tony... for everything." He said the last part quietly and put his head back down. I grinned slightly, nodded my head and made my exit. As the door closed behind me, I sighed in a mix of anguish and relief. Anguish that I don't know what to do with my ex-love now that he is on the ship till further notice and relief that the day was done. All I had to do now was just go to bed. I walked across the hall to my door and started typing in my passcode on the code lock.
"Commander Hawthorn, you have an incoming call from President Wade." Cynthia said over the PA.
"Crap." I grumbled to myself as I walked to the stairs and down them towards the communications room.
"Wade, what an unpleasant surprise." I said as cheerfully as I could muster. President Wade's face was on the screen looking rather stressed but still attempting to keep his gleeful façade.
"Commander, we both know that's not polite." He stated.
"Mr. President, we both know that I can't give any less shits than I do at this very moment." I kept the smile splitting across my face. He took his glasses of with one hand and clenched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger. Slowly he slid it down to the tip.
"Hawthorn, look..." he started as he put his glasses back on his face, "Now that you have Dr. Savannah on your ship, you need to make sure that all of his resources are supplied. Most of those can be restocked at the Rings but some..." he trailed off and part of me knew I wasn't about to like what he was about to say.
"Out with is Wade." I said forcefully.
"Some of the supplies need to be harvested from their planet of origin." He said. I crossed my arms over my chest.
"Such as?"
"Metal Irocarbon 56, which is on Planet Phoenix 42/B and acid Alcosel on Harvest." He said. My jaw had dropped. Phoenix was still and uncharted planet and Harvest is on the whole other side of the galaxy.
"So you're telling me to go to these places, which are on two opposite ends of the galaxy to help build a super weapon." I said slightly agitated. Wade seemed to think upon it for a moment or two.
"More or less." He said. I ran my head through my short hair.
"Fine, fine. I'll get it done." I said with my eyes closed. What the hell was I getting myself into? "It's going to take a while to get there without being noticed." I added. Wade waved his hand back and forth.
"Nonsense, you'll use the jump gates." Wade said like it was supposed to be an obvious choice.
"And tear a hole in space that just screams to Mombasa Corp. where we're headed." I scoffed. Wade glared at me and leaned down on his desk.
"Looks like you'll have to work quickly if you want to avoid them." He sneered and he disconnected. Rage quickly built inside me and I smashed my fist off the console. I turned and stomped towards the door but as is opened, Cynthia jumped at my sight.
"Commander!" she yelped. I took a deep breath to calm myself.
"Sorry... Cynthia." I said. There was still a noticeable grumble in my voice. Cynthia's face fell into a frown.
"Not a good call I presume?" she asked.
"Not in the least." I turned away but she followed.
"I know it's none of my business, but what about?" I stopped and looked down at her.
"We have to go to two totally opposite sides of the galaxy for President Pain-in-the-ass." I walked off but she yelled after me,
"What? Why?" I waved my hand in the air.
"All the calls are recorded. Just play it back and then tell Parker to surprise where we go first."
By the time I got back to my room, I was fried. The Day has been the worst in the world, but thanks to President Pain-in-the-ass, I have a horrible feeling there are going to be much worse.
I looked into the mirror of my bathroom, my hands resting on the glass counter as I leaned over the sink. I'm 6'4'', muscular, my hair is buzzed, black, my skin tanned. My face is naturally... intense? Angry? It's probably safe to say both. My eyes are brown, currently bloodshot from stress. My lips are thick but not very wide, a soft red color.
I took a deep breath and hung my head. Go to bed... I splashed water in my face, brushed my teeth and nearly dragged myself back to my white sheets. I turned the same dial as in Peter's room and made the room black. The glowing blue lights from around the dresser, nightstands, and the one potted plant I had in the corner gave the room a soft ambiance. I sluggishly stripped and got under the covers, sighing in relief when my head hit the pillow. My eyes were still open though, staring at the other half of the bed; the one who should be filling it right across the hall. For many reasons... Memories came rushing back of Peter in my arms as we fell asleep, the playful smile when we were intimate, and the smell of his hair when I would kiss the top of his head. My heart ached, my head ached, and everything ached. I rolled over and opened the drawer of the nightstand. The picture of Peter I took at a Park eight years back and small jewelry box sat there. I grabbed the small box and rubbed the soft fabric on my finger. I refused to open it though... that would have been too much. I glanced and the picture, set the box back on top of it and closed the drawer. I sighed heavily and rolled back over. I grabbed the other pillow and clutched it to my chest. I hadn't done this in years but tonight I needed the feel of something near me. Finally, I forced my eyes shut and, reluctantly, a restless sleep came to me.
Chapter 4: Pheonix
I woke up early that morning and stared at the ceiling. I glanced over at the clock on the nightstand; 3:50. No one else would be up besides Parker... god if he ever actually sleeps I'd be surprised. I flung the covers off of my body and went to take a shower, letting the hot water nearly boil my skin. Usually just sitting in the shower for a little bit allows me to distress and prepare myself for the day ahead but now... I don't think anything would be enough. I was still stressed and pissed off from last night's conversation with the President. My stomach was still in knots from Peter, and the whole thing with him working on some weapon on my shift kept me uneasy. My head made an audible bang as it hit the wall of the shower.
"Uhhhg..." I groaned. Head still against the shower, I shut off the water but didn't move. I knew if I got out of the shower, I'd have to continue with this hell. I lifted my head and stepped out of the shower, I need to start somewhere...
I was walking down the hallway to the bridge, Parker's domain. It was a long hallway filled to the brim with navigation systems, weapons diagnostics, solar storm detectors, and anything else you'd need to make your way through space, you'd find it here. At the end of the hallway was the large gyro sphere with a chair in the center. It was all a massive computer screen.
"Parker?" I asked as I approached the edge. All of the panels and pages instantly stopped flying across the screen. He knew I was here.
"Where did you pick to go? Cynthia talked to you, right?" A blown up satellite image of Phoenix 42/B showed up on the screen; the green planet with clear acidic seas and red rocky mountains rotated slowly. 42/B is a wild planet, too dangerous to be colonized but the materials on it make it valuable. It's only used for small mining trips.
"So the Irocarbon first?" I said, trying to get a response. I knew it was hopeless but it's always worth a try. His chair still never turned towards me. The picture of the planet zoomed out into space showing a full galaxy view, the ship represented by a yellow blip. A yellow waypoint highlighted out path and the words `in route' blinked on top of it.
"Alright then..." I said uncomfortably as I started to back away. All of the tabs that closed when I walked up instantly popped back up into their frantic pace around the screen. "Jesus..." I whispered to myself. I could never keep up with all of that information, granted, that's why I'm not the pilot.
We still had a few minutes before we made planet fall. I told Cynthia to wake Skeeter and Opal to prepare. I knew I should go get things ready, maybe eat something for breakfast, but I found myself wandering. I knew where I was going though; I knew he wouldn't be there yet but I wanted to see where he would be working. Like I thought, all the lights were off in the lab. The viewing windows were dark and you could only make out the faintest details from inside. I walked up to the lab door, typed in the lock code, and opened the door. It was still the medical lab that I knew except now it looked more lived in, even if it hadn't. Doc Harding worked in here but no one was every hurt or sick heavily so the station went unused for the most part. Now there were Paper-Pals laid out, turned off, never used. Test tubes, computer modules, screens left and right, things neatly stacked in cabinets... it was impressive how much crap they shoved into a small space. That was another thing; the last lab was eighty times larger than just this room. How were they supposed to get anything done? My thought process was cut off by the lights turning on and a gasp. I turned around and saw Peter, dressed in a lab coat, hair done up all nice, and glasses midway down his nose. He looked just about as surprised as I did probably.
"Hey... Peter." I said awkwardly, rubbing the back of my neck. "What are you doing up so early." Peter composed himself and continued into the rooms. He walked right past me and started setting up things before he answered.
"I might ask you the same Anthony." He said with the smallest amount of aggression. A bit of a change from last night. "We're making planet fall in a few hours." I said looking at him. He was holding a Paper-Pal but was looking at me now?
"Planet fall?" he asked.
"Yeah... we're going to Phoenix 42/B. It's a mining mission for that Irocarbon." I said. God this was awkward. He put the Paper-Pal down.
"For number 56?" he asked somewhat hopeful, even if his face betrayed him. I nodded and he looked back down at the Paper-Pal. "Good, good." He said quietly. I started to back towards the door.
"I need to go get ready." I said. He didn't even look up. Why wouldn't he look? I kept backing towards it, not even a peep. I opened the door and was stepping out of it.
"Be safe." He said just loud enough for me to hear. I paused half way out the door and stuttered over my words,
"A-always am." before I left. Once the door closed behind me, I let out a breath I didn't realize I had been holding in. I'd never seen him like that before... so involved in his work. Scratch that, he acted the same way briefly when President Wade asked him about the research. Why, now, was he so absorbed in his work? I know it was intense but it's not like the work he used to do was easy. Maybe it was the pressure? I don't know and I'm not entirely sure I want to either.
The doors opened to the armory as I stepped close enough to them. I was alone in the room; Opal and Skeeter must still be on their way. The dark room was only dimly lit as I walked through to my stuff. As I unpacked, Opal walked in, Skeeter on her tail.
"Morning Commander." They both said.
"Morning." I said. I didn't look up and I could hear the slight edge to my voice. They didn't seem to notice or, Skeeter didn't; Opal gave me a quick look before going to her locker. Nothing ever gets past her though.
"Do we have a plan?" Opal asked as she slid on her suit. I looked up at her and nodded.
"Well, we just need enough of the irocarbon for his research. All we need to do is mine it and get it back to the ship." I said. Skeeter and Opal both gave me a look.
"How do you expect to get it?" Skeeter asked. Opal nodded in agreement. I sighed.
"Blow it to shit and load in into the shuttle. We just need like... fifty pounds or so." I said. Opal shook her head.
"This is going to be messy." She said.
"It's just rocks." I said, my lips thin. I didn't need criticism on the plan; I just wanted the damn thing done. "Let's move! Get some explosives on the shuttle and lets go."
"On it." Skeeter said. He turned and went across the room to one of the supply closets. The red lights blinked overhead alerting us we were in orbit. Opal looked at me skeptically, her face in a near scowel. She shook her head as she passed me on the way to the shuttle. I frowned and followed her.
When I walked in through the doors, Opal already had everything up and running. Her armor was a dark purple and black, all bullet proof titanium.
"Everything is reading normal. We're all set to go once Skeeter gets here with the bombs." She said, still looking at the controls. She turned her head back towards me,
"I know I said whenever you were ready, but you've been in a piss poor mood since he's been here. I know President Wade didn't help but you need to talk. I'm not going to let you be a depressed slug." She said seriously. My jaw went slightly slack and I was staring, not harsh, just... I don't even know what.
"I'm here!" Skeeter shouted from outside the shuttle and we both looked out the door. Walking in with a cart full of mining grenades, he walked through with a goofy smile. His green and blue armor was made out of the same titanium as Opals, the same with my blue ones. They were bulkier than the space suites; shoulder pads, flexable ab and back plates, same with the legs and groin.
"Tell Parker we're getting ready to launch." I told Opal. She nodded and started talking through the transmitter. Skeeter put the cart against the wall and sat down on the bench next to it.
"I wasn't sure how much we would need so I filled up a cart with them." He said. I nodded and sat across from him, closing the door in the process.
"Opal, launch it." I said. She nodded and slid a few controls. She then turned around and joined us in the seats and locked herself in. The airlock grew around the shuttle and locked. The ground beneath the shuttle gave way, the vacuum inside the airlock shooting the shuttle out into space. I could feel the slight change in pressure as the inertial dampeners kicked in along with the artificial gravity.
"We're free." Opal said. We orbited for a short while as we gained distance from the Savannah.
"Did Parker set our coordinates?" I asked.
"Yeah, he should have." Soon enough, the shuttle began to move toward the planet. It looked a lot like Earth really; luscious green landscapes, deep blue seas, except the planet was still in its prehistoric stage. The creatures were too large and destructive to make permanent settlements on it, only small beacons to locate resources.
"So we go in and mine our irocarbon and leave, is that it?" Opal asked. I knew she wasn't finished. "What if some of the wildlife catches onto us?" she flipped her wrist in the air by her face. I grabbed my gun and turned off the safety. We were going through the atmosphere now, the ride becoming a little less than smooth.
"We shoot the living fuck out of them, is that good enough?" I said agitated. She glared, Skeeter looked at us both like a deer caught in headlights.
"Guys, let's just get the job done. The sooner we get done the sooner we all get back on the Savannah." He said. I could tell he was trying to stop something before it began. I looked at Opal and nodded, she did as well.
The shuttle was flying through the air towards the target. I unbuckled and stood.
"Exterior windows on." I said. The natural light began to fill the cabin and I had to squint as my eyes adjusted. Walking to the window, I peered out seeing the large green foliage bellow us. We weren't very high off the ground, maybe fifty feet or so. A pack of Velociraptor type animals were sprinting across the landscape toward a small river, they sparked a vague and painful memory. Soon, the grassland turned into a forest that was too thick to see through.
"How far away is the target?" I asked. Skeeter got up and walked to the front, clicking and scrolling at the controls.
"About 5 miles, we'll be there shortly." He said. I nodded in confirmation. The trees began to get thinner as the terrain raised. The ground began to jut out of the ground into a small mountain range where the irocarbon was located.
"It seems to be in the middle of these two mountains we're climbing Commander." Skeeter said as he studied the radar.
"We need to be careful when we start mining. This is still a wild planet, in some type of prehistoric stage if you wanted anything to compare it to." I warned. I remembered this place vaguely, but still enough to remember. It was about 4 years ago; a Mombasa Corp sector had set up base here trying to harvest the irocarbon on planet. My team was sent to wipe them out and get intel. Well, we got here but our shots weren't fired on Mombasa soliders. When we entered the facility, all we found were mauled bodies; some of the bodies were half eaten or had bites taken out of them. Blood was everywhere, glass broken, things were spilled, I mean the scene was just the works of horror films! We didn't realize what the hell had happened until we heard a god awful hissing that edged on the line near a scream. Then one of my men screamed bloody murder. The closest thing in history I could place it to was a Velociraptor, except with shorter, only about two feet high, legs and more elongated, about ten feet long, like a snake would be. Their teeth were long razors... We killed it, along with a crap ton of others but not before it got two of us. It wasn't a great day, not one to write home about at least... It turns out, a pack of them, about 20 or so, followed the scent of food and broke in completely eradicating the scientists and workers of the mining facility. Long story short, no one tries to settle here anymore.
I knew Skeeter and Opal understood even without knowing the story. It was still a wild planet and you never know what might creep up on you.
The shuttle beeped some and then landed on a semi flat area a little higher than midway up the mountain. As the doors opened, the still dry air rushed into the cabin.
"Damn, that's like an oven!" Skeeter said. I blinked my eyes a few times adjusting to the unfiltered light. We all hooked our guns to our holsters.
"Just a bit intense." I said as I walked out the doors, my boot crunching in the dirt.
"Where do we start?" Opal asked. I was still looking around. Nothing seemed to be around but I was still treading cautiously.
"Grab the scanner. We'll need to walk the rest of the way to it. That cart isn't going to do crap with the way this is looking. Let's hope Pe... I mean, Dr. Savannah doesn't need a lot of this stuff." I said, stopping myself short of saying his first name. I saw Opal give me an eye again. Skeeter jumped back in and grabbed the scanner and a few bombs.
"The pockets of our pants could hold at least 3 pounds each and the back compartments could hold a large chunk. I think what we collect should be enough to suffice for now." Skeeter said as he shoved the supplies into said compartments.
"Let's get a move on. I don't like this place." I said gruffly as I walked forward."
We had been walking for fifteen minutes, Skeeter directing us, before the scanner started going crazy. The stone had changed from red to a yellowish gray. We were all sweating from the blistering heat from the direct sunlight.
"I think we found our dig spot." Opal said as she scanned the ground with her eyes. It was in the middle of a little bowl, surrounded by hills or rock. I didn't like it, no good vantage points. Skeeter set the scanner down and started to pull the supplies out of his pockets. I wiped the sweat off of my forehead.
"We should plant the charges in a circle formation. On at the top and bottom and each sides then on in the center, that way we get a nice hole." I nodded and grabbed two of the charges, Skeeter grabbing the other three. Once they were placed, I noticed Opal looking around, gun pointed. Nothing was there though...
"Opal?" I asked, slightly cautious now myself.
"I heard something." She said as she stared down the barrel of her rifle.
"Let's, just get these charges blown and get gone." Skeeter said. I nodded once to give the okay. We backed away a safe distance as Skeeter armed them, that's when I heard it; the hissing, that horrid hissing.
"Skeeter let's go!" I yelled.
"You heard it too this time?" Opal asked with her finger on the trigger. I shook my head.
"I didn't just hear it; I know exactly what it is." I said as I took my gun out of my holster. "Shoot straight. Head shots only." I said as I started to look down my sight. The hissing continued.
"Skeeter, hurry up with those bombs!" I yelled.
"I'm trying!" he yelled back. Skeeter ran back from the circle just as the first head popped up from behind the ledge. It stood up on its hind legs and hissed. One shot, Opal's pierced right under the jaw and threw its skull. It went silent and fell backwards down the mountain.
"That's what I'm talking about." I said assured.
"It's gunna blow!" SKeeter yelled and no sooner the blast rocked the small bowl of land.
"That wasn't the last of those things. Let's get the rocks and go." I ordered. They both nodded as we skidded down the rocks to the blast sight. Several more of the creatures crawled over the ledge. Once they saw us they hissed. I aimed and shot, striking it in the face. Its head hit the rock hard and it stopped moving. The other lunged at us, something I wasn't aware they could do. Opal stopped as Skeeter and I continued.
"Opal, move!" I yelled. She stood there as the lizard flew closer to her, jaws agape, ready to consume. Less than a foot away, she shot it up through its mouth, and then knocked the dead body away with her arm. She looked at me and winked. Skeeter was starting to load up on rocks as he sneered, "Showoff." I too started to load my pockets with rocks.
"Let's hope this shit is enough." I said as I loaded. I heard a few more shots and I looked up. Opal was shooting at another group of five that were crawling down at her. As good as a shot she was, they were too quick, I knew that. I took at my gun and shot two down. I heard a hiss right behind me and Skeeter yell. I turned and shot before my brain even registered what I was seeing. Skeeter was on the ground, holding his shoulder which was bleeding. The almost dead lizard was lying on its back; the shot through the neck making it squirm uncomfortably.
"Shit Skeeter!" I said as I knelt besides him. The bite was clean his armor. Their teeth must be sharp as hell.
"We need to go!" Opal yelled at us. More of those damned things were coming over the ledge. Opal was already opening fire.
"Grab as much as you can and get back to the shuttle." I commanded. The hissing was making my ears ring.
"Use your good arm Skeeter." I said, looking at his gun. I stood up, grabbing a few more rocks and then taking aim. I knocked three more out; Opal had taken down at least five more. Skeeter stood up a little unsteadily but he found his ground. His shots weren't perfect but he still was able to hit them in the kill spots. When the last one fell I yelled, "Let's move out!" We started climbing back out of the death hole towards the ledge. Once we reached the top, we could hear more hissing in the distance.
"Let's just get some distance between us and them." I said as we started to run across the rough terrain. The red rocks were uneven under out feet but we managed. The hissing in the distance stayed in the distance but none of us were willing to stop and find out how far away it really was.
"The shuttle should be right around here." Skeeter said. The bleeding hadn't stopped and he was starting to look pail.
"Commander, I don't... I don't feel too good." He said lazily right before he fell to his knees. Opal grabbed him before his face hit the rocks.
"Nice save. Shit..." I said rubbing my head.
"I'll carry him." I said as I knelt down and slung him over my shoulder. Blood had dried and cracked on his armor, staining the green red, while new streams flowed slowly.
"He's lost a lot of blood. We need to move fast." Opal said, her eyes filled with sorry and strain. The hissing in the far distance made both of our heads spin. They were a while back but no telling how fast they'd get here.
Slung Skeeter over my shoulder and we continued to move. The shuttle was right over the next ledge and we both sighed in a quiet relief.
"Come on." I said as we hopped down the last drop before the landing. As we approached the doors opened and we rushed inside. Opal went up to the controls and I got Skeeter strapped into the seat so he wouldn't fall over. His eyes opened into slits and he was barely able to lift his head.
"Com... mander?" he asked. He was confused, light headed probably, and fading fast.
"Opal get this thing moving, stat!" I barked.
"I'm trying!" she shouted back. Now that we weren't running for our lives, we were both stressing about Skeeter staying with us. His head dropped again right before the shuttle lifted off. I peered out the window and saw a group of about seven more of those fucking things crawling over the last ledge and down toward the landing.
"Jesus." I whispered as I sat down in a chair across from Skeeter. I was just looking at him now. His usually tanned skin was turning a washed out bronze, almost grey really. His eyes weren't open but the bleeding seemed to have stopped... but that may not be good.
"We're not coming back here anytime soon I hope unless we get some more firepower. That was ridiculous." Opal shook her head as she finished punching in the coordinates to ship. She turned around and looked at me angrily but when she looked at Skeeter her face softened and she sat down next to me.
"He'll be okay." She said. Her hand fell on my shoulder. "He has to be." She continued, her eyes looking at him.
"He's still breathing." I said lightly, my voice an octave lower than usual. She nodded at me, but both of us were looking at our dying teammate.
"Is there anything we can do for him?" she asked, trying to be optimistic. I just shook my head.
"There's no medical supplied on the shuttle. Call the ship and tell them to have the medical team down in the launch bay." Opal nodded and went back up to the controls sending a quick order back to the medical team in the ship. I sat for a few more seconds before standing up in a rush.
"Dammit, I should have known better!" I yelled and pounded my fist on the wall.
"Commander!" Opal said. She was calm but her voice held force. I lowered my fist and my head, letting out a puff of air.
"You couldn't have known better." She said. I locked eyes with her and I knew my face must have been scary at that point.
"I was here four years ago... the same thing happened with that mining camp except..." I looked up and closed my eyes, "there weren't nearly as many that time." I said. I was pissed off, I was sad, god I just wanted to go back down there and decapitate every last one of those fucking lizards!
"But was that anywhere near here?" she asked. I shook my head.
"It was down more towards the equator." I said.
"And we're about three thousand miles from there. You couldn't have known, we didn't know. It's not your job to..."
"Yes it is my damn job! Look, he's almost dead because of this. Fuck! I didn't protect him, he was right behind me." My voice actually cracked by the end of that and I sat down. I felt the tears but there was no way I was going to let them pass through.
"It's... not... your fault... Commander." Skeeter said so weakly, so strained, it pained me to hear him say those words.
"Skeeter..." I said nearly shocked as I lifted my head.
"I'll..." he coughed lightly but I knew he was in pain. " I'll be okay." He said and I nodded. Opal sat next to him. The jolt of docking back to the ship startled me. I was too enraged to even realize we were in space, let alone back at the ship. When the door opened, the medical team, led by Dr. Harding, stepped in and loaded Skeeter onto a stretcher. Almost simultaneously, they had him hooked up to a blood transfusion. I watched as they wheeled him out, Opal standing beside me. Once they were all gone I saw Peter standing on the floor right outside the shuttle.
"Miss St. Claire, Commander." He said politely, just like him... even if there was an extra punch to commander when he said it.
"Please, Opal is fine." She said. "What are you doing down here Dr. Savannah?" she asked. He took a few steps back out of curtesy as we stepped out of the shuttle.
"Well, I was asked to leave the lab while they got Mr. Xio settled. Also, I thought I might as well collect my minerals." He said. He raised an eyebrow at me.
"You were able to get at least a few grams for my study, right?" he asked. I laughed snidely.
"A few grams?" I reached into my back compartment and pulled out a rock that had to at least weight two pounds and tossed it at him. He awkwardly caught it and openly gawked at. "There's about ten more pounds between Skeeter and I." I said. He looked at the rock and back at me several times.
"Jesus I only needed a pound at most." He said surprised and I lost it.
"Son of a bitch!" I yelled and punched the shuttle wall, leaving a dent. Opal and Peter were both staring at me with wide eyes.
"Commander, please, calm down." Opal said sternly. I turned to Peter, eyes aflame.
"You're telling me you only needed a few grams of this shit and we could have sent a rover down to grab it without anyone being put at risk?" I was steaming and I could feel the veins popping out of my skin. Peter looked horrified and instantly I felt like a pile of crap.
"Peter... I..." I tried to say, but it was too late; he was already nearly running out of the loading dock.
"Fuck!" I yelled and plopped down on the ground, face in my hands. I felt a firm hand grab my wrist and pull me up, nearly dragging me across the floor.
"What the hell..." I started.
"You and I, we're going to have a little chat." Opal said. I gulped loudly.
Up next... CHAPTER 5: The Talk