Note: Well, first Dead Space fic ever. Also of note, this is a alternate tale of events on Tau Volantis. Trust me when I say things will get crazy. And likely angsty. Dead Space seems to do angst very well. Please review and comment. I own nothing from/relating to Dead Space.

Looking Glass

Prologue

Isaac stumbled through the doorway, wiping the last few bits of goop from the insides of the giant Necromorph off his shoulder. He stopped and took in the small complex where the rest of the crew had holed up. It was somewhat spacious on the inside. Looking out a window on a far side, he thought he could see a landing pad and a small ship. Likely broken, but still there. Santos, Buckell, Rosen and Locke were sitting on crates, wrapped in blankets they'd scrounged from somewhere. Carver and Norton followed Isaac through. He took another look at the place, and noticed something. Someone was missing.

He spun around and grabbed Norton by the shoulder.

"Where is she?" He asked curtly.

"You mean Ellie?" Norton replied, his eyes narrowing.

"No, I mean Santos. Of course Ellie." Isaac said angrily.

"I don't know, Clarke. I thought she was with you."

Isaac was so stunned he couldn't answer for a few seconds.

"You thought she… let me get this straight. The shuttle splits in fucking half, she's on the half opposite me, and you assume she's with me after the pieces land?" He demanded.

"All I knew was that she wasn't with us. So I-"

"Again, the shuttle splits in half, and she's on the other side, Norton."

"Well, what do you expect me to do, Clarke?" Norton snapped

"I don't know, maybe find her? Figure out where she is?" Isaac said.

"If I could, don't you think I'd be out there right now?"

Isaac had give him that one, however grudgingly. He turned, and his gaze found the ship. Now that he looked at it, it didn't seem that bad. A little beat, weathered, but certainly functional with a little fixing up. And if it was functional…

Carver stepped through the porthole of the ship, helmet disassembling around his face.

Isaac was sitting at a panel he'd pulled out, working it over with some cobbled-together tools.

"And you're fiddling with the scanners to do what exactly?" Carver asked.

"Pick up life signs." Isaac replied, not looking up.

"What good does that do?"

"Think about it for a second. Anything alive on this planet is near us and one of two things: Danik's men, or-"

"Or Ellie. Alright, that's actually a good plan." Carver admitted. "Provided you get the scanners working."

"I'm pretty sure I've almost got it."

"Aren't you supposed to be an engineer?" Carver asked, trying to push Isaac's buttons.

"See how much you learn when most of your college savings go to a church donation." Isaac replied, not rising to the bait.

Carver just shrugged and walked out.

Isaac looked back to be certain Carver had left, then turned the panel over.

He could see a flickering radial scan of the area in what he guessed was about a 200 yard radius. One small dot was in the middle, to the east, remaining exactly where it was. He turned the panel back down and pulled a small wire. Turning the panel back up, he watched the screen go dark. He set the panel screen-down and walked out of the ship. Facing east, he let his helmet assemble around his head, and set out.

Note: Now, just so we're all clear, this is a somewhat AU series, so if anyone is alive who shouldn't be right now… tough, I guess. Also, if this beginning seems a little odd (and short) trust me when I say things will pick up (and be much longer) in the next chapter.