After they touched the big Vault chest, everything disappeared: the light, the gravity, their senses. Rhys felt the usual nausea stirring inside of him not unlike on their spaceship trip. Concentrating on keeping his stomach's filling inside he closed his eyes. And all of a sudden the gravity returned, greeting him with a loud "thud!" as he met the ground.
Gaining his wits, Rhys opened his eyes. The ache in his side momentarily became unnoticeable as he gazed around in awe. He was in the middle of a colorful jungle forest. He got up, adrenaline pumping through him and numbing his pain.
Something was amiss.
"Fiona?" Rhys called, looking around. Should they not be teleported in the same place?
"I see you're up at last," Fiona answered, showing her face between the long feather shaped leaves in front of him. "I walked around for a bit - there is that damned forest everywhere."
"Was I out long?" Rhys wondered. He did not notice that for sure. "Did you try to wake me?" It stung that she seemed to not care about his state.
Fiona came nearer, and he noticed she had her gun ready. A worried expression flicked across her face, seasoned with a shameful red color on her cheeks.
"You had no serious damage," she explained. "I tried to check the neighborhood for potential dangers, but obviously there is none." She put the gun into her sleeve, and walked around impatiently. "Do you get any signal?" She asked hopefully.
It was worth checking. Rhys stretched out his right hand, running the network searching process. Nothing. As if they were out in the wild, far from civilization. Oh, wait, they were.
Rhys sighed. "No network accessible. Shit, I've never seen that before. Even in Pandoran desert, there was a signal from Helios."
Fiona's eyes widened. If Rhys did not know her, he would have thought she was afraid. His words about staying alive after opening the Vault were a bitter memory.
He would not lose hope, not so soon.
"The forest must end somewhere. All these green leaves and all, there must be some water. Let's find it." He suggested, trying to sound confident.
"All right. Can you use that metal arm of yours to cut through the greenery?" Fiona replied. Rhys nodded with a small smile, as his was glad to see her decisiveness return.
The chose the direction by going where their eyes were set. Rhys in the front, destroying the local flora ruthlessly, and Fiona following his steps, keeping her eyes open and her ears strained.
After some time the plants changed: the lianes were gone and it became easier to move around. The tall trees were still surrounding them, but at least it was now possible to see the ground under their feet.
"It reminds me of the forest in that Atlas facility. Hopefully, we'll find fruits." Rhys remarked casually.
Fiona sighed, wiping the sweat from her forehead. "Hopefully, we don't find any man eating flowers. I have few bullets."
"Man eating what?" Rhys exclaimed, his voice unnaturally high.
"Flowers. You were lucky not to meet them then." Fiona answered, speeding up her pace to walk alongside him.
Rhys couldn't help remembering that adventure. Then, they were separated, but now they walked side by side. Were they the only people in that place? What future was out there for them?
"I say, if the Vault of Traveler was meant...for, well, travels?" He wondered out loud. "Travels to other planets? What if there is no civilization here? We could be like Adam and Eve." He smiled widely at the shock in her eyes. "Populate the planet, y'know." Rhys stopped and looked at her, awaiting the answer.
Shock, doubt, irritation all mixed in Fiona's face. Finally she frowned at the man before her.
"You should've brought that 'someone else' of yours for that purpose." She replied forcefully. "If she exists." Fiona added under her breath.
Rhys lifted his eyebrows in disbelief. He could get offended by her harsh words, but he chose not to. It was a stressful situation they were in, and they could not afford quarrelling.
"I thought you've got me then." He offered peacefully, in that charming manner of his.
Fiona looked up, searching his face for answers. "Excuse me?"
She did not get his hints, he realized. His heart beat wildly as he saw the moment came. The moment he speak plainly and confess his feelings. His cynical mind couldn't help assessing the situation: he was in the middle of nowhere, they could be dead in several days, or, hours, and he was afraid to tell her that...
"...there, before the Vault, I was talking about you." He said in a quiet voice, watching her fondly.
Fiona stared at him, not at all convinced. "Yeah, like I would ever believe it." She drawled, somewhat disappointed. She turned away from him and continued walking into the forest.
"Is it that hard to believe?!" Rhys called out loudly, as he hurried to follow her. "Really?!"
Fiona remained silent. He felt like drowning. What an impossible woman!
"Look, it's classic," he tried to begin once more, calmly, patiently. "After all we had suffered together, after all those adventures, ups and downs, imminent danger and pending threat, how could I not fall for such strong, decisive and smart woman like you? You were my support in that crazy ride, you were the shrine of sanity and common sense amongst the madness, the fearless guardian angel guiding me through the hot Pandoran hells..." He was talking sincerely, but later he would have to admit he got a little carried away buy his innate eloquence.
"Are you kidding me?" Fiona interrupted him with a scowl. "Is that supposed to sound seriously?" She paused in her walking, turning to face him. "If you really care about me, prove it." She stared at him hard, challenge in her eyes.
What was he expected to do? Rhys felt as if she was enchanted by some evil witch and couldn't see him in true light. The fairytale forest only enhanced the feeling. Well, he thought, what worked with Sleeping Beauty, might work with Beauty-in-denial.
It was not at all like he had pictured their first kiss, Fiona all stern and angry, not anticipating and fluttering, as he imagined it should happen. In fact, it didn't happen at all.
Because he felt her gun pressed into his chest as he leaned down to her face.
"Don't you dare touch me." Fiona hissed.
Rhys stepped back, an irritated frown on his face. That was too much.
"All right, that's it!" He snapped, waving his arms in agitation. "That's it! I don't know what's gotten in your head, but I'm not participating! I'm outta here!" And he stormed away, not even looking where he headed.
His mind fumed, he felt disgraced, devastated. He heard her steps behind, but no way he would ever look at those coldblooded, full of herself,...
"Rhys," he heard her cry, "Rhys-"
He smacked his forehead against a tree trunk.
"-a tree." Fiona ended her sentence, covering her mouth, her eyes wide with fear for him.
The sound was the worst, in fact. Shaking his head and putting his hands on the tree for the support, Rhys got up to look at her. Her big green eyes were so scared, that he was almost ready to forgive her.
"It's okay." He replied to her unvoiced question.
Fiona hesitated for a moment, glancing at her feet. "I... I should not have pointed my weapon at you..." She muttered, finally mastering the courage to look back at his face. The red spot on his forehead was getting worse.
Rhys saw her eyes linger on his forehead for some time, but then something above his head got her attention.
"Look!" She whispered, pointing at what appeared to be a glowing blue flower that was growing on the tree.
A wry smile appeared on his lips. He might not have seen the man eating flowers in the Atlas facility, but these flowers he remembered well. The admiration in her eyes gave him an idea.
Stepping back, he reached up and picked the flower which was growing too high for Fiona. Then he put his hand down in front of him, and Fiona stretched out a hand to take it.
"Wait," he whispered, holding the flower down at his side until it spit the yellow liquid on the ground and on his trousers. Smiling at Fiona's surprised 'oh', Rhys held out the flower to her: "Here."
Fiona took it with her both hands, amazed by the miraculous light coming from the petals. The way Rhys handed her flower and that unpleasant yellowish substance staining his left leg got her thinking.
"You know... I am similar to that flower in many ways." Fiona confessed, lifting her head to meet his gaze. "Not as nice as you expect."
"Yeah, you are." Rhys admitted with a soft laugh. "But you have already spit on me today, haven't you?"
She smiled guiltily. Shaking her head, Fiona spoke with certain amount of passion coloring her tone: "I have. Forgive me. I'm usually very good at telling whether a person is honest or not, that's what I do for a living. But you... I always misread you. I'm afraid you're just toying with me, I refuse to believe you not be disappointed later."
Rhys covered her hands with his.
"And why is that? I need you to say it, Fi."
Their eyes locked. Rhys watched her, waiting for those words to come out of her trembling lips.
"Because I care about you." Fiona whispered, close enough for him to feel her breath. He needed to get even closer. He needed that with his whole being.
Rhys cupped her face with his left hand urging her to come closer with his metal arm around her shoulders. It could be a little rough, but noone cared, as their lips met. The flower crumpled between them and fell down as Fiona clutched Rhys' both upper arms with her hands, as he deepened the kiss.
When they parted to get some air, Rhys realised he was supporting himself on the tree by his right arm above Fiona's head, who was pressed tight between the trunk and his own body. Her eyes were big and absolutely stunning as she stared at him in awe.
"Oh my..." Rhys groaned as he reached for her lips again...
"Guys, guys, I've found you!" A child like voice startled them, and then Gortys appeared in front of them, causing them to jump apart.
"So, well, eh... It's not another planet I guess?" Rhys managed to say running a hand through his wettened hair.
"No, it's Pandora! But since you've entered the Vault it turned all greeny!" Gortys exclaimed happily. "I thought I lost everyone, but now I think we'll find everybody!" And with those words she waved her tiny hand to encourage them to follow.
"Let's go," Rhys took Fiona's hand and pulled her gently towards the robot.
Fiona swallowed, and asked him hesitantly in a low voice: "Do you think she saw anything?"
Rhys shrugged his shoulders. "I-"
"Don't worry, I took pictures! I missed nothing!" Gortys replied cheerfully.
Rhys arched an eyebrow at Fiona. She only shook her head sighing: "Lead the way, Gortys."