Author's note: Wow, it has been a week since I last published! Sorry for the delay! Work has been busy and this was a hell of a chapter to write. I won't lie, it was challenging for me - but that's not a bad thing!
Anyway, I found the movie version of this scene to be a little . . . underwhelming. I wanted my version to be serious, believable, and emotionally resonant. Movie Misa & Hikaru are so nonplussed about discovering this ruin of culture - even after meeting a race of alien giants, I would think they would be shocked to a) find remnants of an ancient civilization on their own planet, and b) learn that humanity was genetically engineered by the Protoculture. But I digress.
Please review - your feedback (good or bad) is very motivating to me. I have a few chapters up my sleeve yet!
Thank you as always to my reviewers and followers! Hope you enjoy.
Misa could feel Hikaru's fingers tightening around her shoulder. They were slick with cold sweat, not that she could feel the clamminess through her flight suit. She swallowed, trying to contain the surge of dread that was turning her stomach. She felt like retching, but knew that the adrenaline coursing through her veins wouldn't allow it. Exhaling slowly, she took a series of deep breaths, knowing she could regulate her respiration, even if she couldn't do anything about her uncontrollable heartbeat. Steady… Steady… she commanded herself. What is there to be afraid of?
Wordlessly, she took a few tentative steps forward. Hikaru followed numbly, his hand still on her shoulder. His breathing was stilted, and she couldn't tell if the pounding in her ears was his pulse or hers. The door slid closed behind them. Its muted, mechanical hiss startled her—at once, she contracted every muscle in her body. Instantly, she turned on her heel to face the door, her eyes wide, pupils dilated. She was too anxious to feel sheepish about her uncharacteristically jumpy behavior.
"It closed behind us," said Hikaru, in a calm voice that he meant to sound reassuring. It's unlike her to be this agitated. He frowned to himself. Exploring an ancient ruin that somehow still had working doors and lights was unnerving at best, but her reaction was making him edgier. You have to be strong, for her and for you. Like Roy would have been. He balled his hand into a fist. Misa turned her head at the sound of his voice. It had cut through the silence like a dagger, snapping her from her shock. She nodded at him, and reached her right hand for his left. Together, they inched forward into the room, taking in the scene.
A circle of translucent orbs adorned the ceiling. Blinking, Misa could see that the room, like the ceiling light formation above, was round. Each luminous dome gave off a weak, bluish light that appeared vaguely florescent. What sort of power has kept the lights on in here for so long? Misa wondered, glad to be back in an analytical mindset. Lowering her eyes, she could see that the interior was dominated by a large, circular console. Upon closer inspection, it was actually composed of multiple individual terminals, a seat in front of each station. Walking slowly, the pair approached the ring of unfamiliar machines.
Misa put her hand on the back of one of the station chairs, eyeing the details of the strange piece of furniture. She doubted it was of human making, and wondered if the inside of Zentran or Meltran control rooms looked like this. Though the space wasn't sized for the giants, it had an otherworldy appearance that was not unlike the interior of the one Zentradi spacecraft she had ever been inside. One ship is a pretty small sample size for alien furniture design, she admitted to herself. She turned to face Hikaru, who stood next to her.
"It almost looks like a bridge," Misa said, in a voice barely above a whisper. She looked at his face. His expression was a slight grimace, his jaw a bit clenched, but his indigo eyes were soft, concerned, locked on her own. She paused for a second.
"But that can't be—there aren't any windows," she murmured vaguely, distracted. Hikaru nodded blandly. He willed himself to concentrate on her words—for some reason, he was having a hard time focusing on what she was saying. He cleared his throat, trying to relax his face, ordering his mind back to the present moment.
"If it's not military, then what is this place?" He wondered aloud. Somehow, this abandoned, decaying hold was much more alien to him than the armed Zentradi battleship on which he had briefly been a prisoner.
Misa realized she was still holding Hikaru's hand. Releasing it gently, she sat down at the foreign helm of one of the terminals. He stood behind her, arms on the chair back. Slowly, he leaned in, his head hovering above her shoulder. The machine before their eyes resembled a computer. It looks so old, Misa thought to herself. But somehow, it's modern too. A flat, rectangular screen was at eye level, with a few fixed buttons flanking its sides. Curiously, no keyboard was present anywhere. Instinctively, she touched a finger to the screen, which illuminated every individual monitor along the ring.
She stiffened in surprise. Her back pressed into Hikaru's hands, which he brought to her shoulders. Her eyes darted left, and then right, and she saw that each individual terminal displayed the same image – a stark white background, uncluttered by icons or text or anything she would have normally expected a computer screen to show. Without warning, an androgynous voice rang out, speaking a language neither could understand.
Misa jumped from her chair, astonished and frightened and curious all at once. Hikaru mirrored her movement, bolting upright, but he had reacted to her, rather than the strange voice reverberating throughout the hold. Taking her forearms in his hands, he pulled her closer to him. As he inhaled, he caught the smell of salt and sunlight on her skin. Misa was too overwhelmed to notice their haphazard embrace. She could only stare at his dazed face in silence, not knowing what to make of the eerie voice or its unintelligible speech. Its unfamiliar sound echoed slightly, bouncing off the circular walls.
Steadied by the warm energy that Hikaru radiated, Misa harnessed her wild feelings. "Who are you?" she shouted. Afterwards, she realized the absurdity of speaking a modern Earth language to an old, strange machine that was generating alien intonations.
The voice began to drone again, in a tongue that neither Misa nor Hikaru could begin to comprehend. All of the terminal screens suddenly changed images—each displayed an illuminated green circle set against a black background. The circles pulsated in unison, growing brighter and dimmer, beckoning. Something compelled Misa to touch one. She started to pull away from Hikaru, and he let her take a step or two before grasping one of her hands. Stretching her other arm out, she reached a hand out to the circle. He didn't prevent her from making contact, but he didn't want to break their handhold. She pressed her fingertips lightly against the screen's glossy surface.
The voice spoke once more—but this time, it was different.
"Analysis complete," a mannered female voice said.
"This is impossible!" Misa exclaimed. "What is happening?"
"How does it know our language?" Hikaru cried, as stupefied as his companion.
"Who are you?!" Misa shouted once more. Her voice was insistent, desperate, almost angry.
The polite voice gave answers, but not to the questions they asked.
"Time elapsed: 20,000 cycles of primary star Sol in immediate interstellar space.
Survivor count: Two. One adult female. One adult male. No offspring.
Species: Modern hominoids genetically engineered to inhabit planet Sol-IV.
Colonization status: Incomplete.
Energy status: Depleted.
Current power source: Emergency reserves.
Emergency reserve status: 2% remaining."
It was silent again, but only for a minute.
"Central computer, what is your command?" The female voice spoke once more.
A thousand questions raced through Misa's mind, but they would have to wait. This was a working computer, and a seemingly robust one, running on the last of its power. She thought fast.
"Initiate distress communication to all fold-capable spacecraft detected in the local universe!" She exclaimed, her voice cracking.
The screens became a jumble of unfamiliar symbols and shapes, scrolling rapidly, which Misa could only hope was a message. She turned to Hikaru, raising her head to meet his gaze.
"If the SDF-01 is still out there, maybe they'll receive our transmission," she said breathlessly, a waver of hope in her voice.
He nodded, placing his hands on her upper arms. "The Zentradi or Meltrandi might get it too, but that's a chance I would gladly take," he said gently, his voice full of emotion. He stepped closer to her.
"Central computer, what is your command?" The female voice interrupted.
Misa turned her head and shoulders back to the ring of terminals. "Access last recorded captain's log," she spoke steadily. "And translate." Certainly, a vessel this advanced kept records of who was aboard and why! She thought. Hikaru had to admire her focus, but the last thing on his mind was the most recent captain's log.
After a few minutes of quiet, the robotic voice returned.
"Last dated message of colony supervisor accessed. Translation complete. Playback."
'If you are in receipt of this communication, please accept my salutations and greetings. You have arrived at Protoculture Colony 6-183-SK-49, tasked with genetically engineering intelligent life on planet Sol-IV by manipulating its indigenous microorganisms. The purpose of this project has been to create a habitable environment for potential Zentran and or Meltran settlement in the distant future, after the blood war between the two super-races has reached its conclusion. This vital undertaking on Sol-IV has been a successful project, with the number of unique species created in excess of 8.7 million. Modern interstellar colonization efforts seldom generate such a high degree of biodiversity, but we have found Sol-IV to be a very hospitable host planet. Unfortunately, our time here is at an end. Initial fold signatures have revealed thousands of Zentradi destroyer-class battleships within the local interstellar universe. It is with great personal and professional regret that we leave our life's work to seek safety on a new host planet, where we shall begin our mission anew. We have preserved this modest research settlement for our future return, should it be feasible, or perhaps for peaceful travelers who may discover it. Please continue our mission, if you are able. This has been my final message. Lead Biologist and Colony Superintendent Peralt Nolmezda bids you farewell.'
"Message complete." The voice finished.
Before Misa could fully digest and appreciate the message, the central computer spoke once more, interfering with her thoughts.
"Emergency reserve status has fallen to 1%. Remaining power shall be used to elevate the colony, effective immediately. Please brace for impact."
Within seconds of the central computer's final words, the walls around Hikaru and Misa began to shake, sending them into a precarious embrace once more. Holding on to one another for stability, the floor beneath them began to rise. Debris rained down from above, colliding with the ground. The sick sound of metal scraping against metal rang throughout the hold. Reflexively, Misa buried her head into Hikaru's chest, seeking shelter from the violent clamor that surrounded them. He brought his head down to hers, his chin grazing her russet hair. Together, they waited for the storm to pass.