Chapter 31

"I wanted it to be a dream."

Becca led Jessie back to the bed, but the little girl didn't want to sleep. Her tiredness won over her determination, though, and Jessie fell asleep, leaning on Becca's shoulder.

Becca smiled down at the little girl. Asleep, Jessie finally had a peaceful look on her face. The thought that soon she'd have to wake the girl made her feel rather guilty.

Becca woke, startled. She must have dozed off. She looked down. Jessie still slept peacefully. Rubbing her eyes, she gazed towards the window. It was still dark out. She glanced around for whatever had woke her up. It was one of the soldiers. He was making an announcement. Time to go.

"Jessie," Becca whispered, shaking the girl awake.

"Mommy?" the girl asked hopefully as she opened her eyes.

Becca hated to break her heart. But she had to. "No," she said sadly.

"I guess it wasn't a dream," Jessie said, disappointment and sadness showing on her face. "I wanted it to be a dream."

"We have to leave soon," Becca said. She pulled on her jeans and T-shirt. She packed her pocket computer and the photo of herself with her parents in her jacket pockets. She emptied her backpack out onto the bunk. Then, she stuffed her sweatshirt and Jessie's, and their coats, into the backpack. It was too hot to put them on now. She'd get them on at the ship.

Becca took Jessie's hand and led her outside, following the crowd. Busses waited outside. They boarded the closest one. Becca searched for two seats together but could find none. Becca was about to get off the bus to search another bus for two seats together when abruptly, the bus pulled away. She sat down in the nearest seat and Jessie climbed onto her lap.

"I wonder where the nice girl from last night is," wondered Jessie out loud.

Becca looked around. "She must be on another bus," she concluded.

Becca didn't want to say anything to worry Jessie, but she wondered what had happened to the practice run they were supposed to have. She was startled by a popping noise. She recognized it from the movies, but not from real life.

Gunfire.

Becca pulled Jessie down and pushed the girl under the seat. She herself crouched down as far as she could.

"What's happening?" Jessie asked fearfully. "Did the comet come already?"

"No ... no, it didn't ... it's just..." Thankfully, the bus came to a stop and she didn't have to explain. People rushed to get off, nearly trampling them.

Becca unzipped her backpack. She took out Jessie's sweatshirt and jacket. "Put these on," she said gently. The girl complied. Becca put on her own, then picked up Jessie and walked out of the bus, the last one to leave.

Outside, insanity reigned. Rioters were being held back - barely. She was shoved along with the crowd, not even sure she was going the right way. She craned her neck to see above the crowd. And there it was. The Mayflower. She turned back for one last look. There were people behind her, even. But most were ahead, trying to squeeze into the single elevator carrying people up to the ship.

Becca wondered if everyone would get on in time. She looked up into the sky and she could see the Rock, coming closer, so close, so very, very bright and big and close and ...

"Get moving!" someone shouted behind her. She stumbled forward into the elevator. Bodies pressed all around her, no, not bodies, people, but she felt crushed, Jessie cried, make this end, make this end. Then the elevator opened, and the people rushed out onto the platform, carrying her along.

There was a catwalk, a little catwalk, so flimsy, connecting the platform to the ship. People were being sent, one at a time.

And then it was her turn. Still carrying Jessie, who was now sobbing, she walked across. Just before stepping into the ship, she took one last look.

And ruining her last view of Earth's sky was the Rock, glowing brightly, coming so much closer with every passing moment.

Inside the Mayflower, Becca followed the instructions of the NASA techs, made her way to an empty berth. 17. She was in berth 17. She was 17 years old. She wondered if that was lucky. She'd put Jessie next to her, in 16. The girl was still crying, and Becca realized that so was she.

She set Jessie down in berth 16. "Jessie," she said gently. "You're a big girl. You can do what the voice tells you to, right?" Jessie nodded. "Now lie down in the berth." Jessie complied.

Becca gave the girl a kiss on the forehead. "Do what the voice says. I'll watch to make sure you do all right before I get into my berth." Jessie gave a small nod. Becca stepped back, and the Plexiglas lid to the berth closed. Becca stood there, watching Jessie, making sure she did it right. She watched until finally, the girl's eyes closed. Jessie had such a peaceful look on her face, as if she were merely sleeping.

Then she went to her own berth, and, fighting her fear, climbed in. A moment later, Calee arrived and stood next to the berth on the other side of Becca, berth 18. Calee turned to face Becca, pleading, "Becca, I have to find Sky."

"No time," she found herself replying. "Come on, get in. Don't you freak out on me." Calee climbed into the berth. Becca heard her whisper something indecipherable before the Plexiglas lid closed over her berth.

No use putting it off any longer, she thought. Becca lay down in the berth. The Plexiglas lid closed over her. She had always been claustrophobic, but that seemed the least of her problems right now.

"Place the end of the tube in the back of your throat. The coated capsule on the end of the tube will make swallowing painless and easy. Now swallow the capsule and, using your hands, slowly and gently push the tube down until the red band reaches your mouth. Please take care not to vomit."

She could do that. That wasn't so hard. You can do it, you can do it, she told herself, over and over and over again until finally she got the red band to her mouth. She fought a sudden urge to gag.

"Now, draw the transparent plastic helmet over your head, taking care not to tangle the breathing tube."

There. A piece of cake. Then she heard a voice, a human one.

"Folks, this is Colonel Jasper Willett, the mission commander. You were supposed to get training for all this, folks, dry runs and so on. I know this isn't easy, any of it. But try and follow the computer directions as well as you can. They'll be repeated."

And they were. Over and over again, in a droning voice. Well, if the hibernation equipment doesn't put me to sleep, this will. She was surprised she had a sense of humor left.

"Okay, folks, we've just got the word to cut short the prep. We got some bad guys outside, getting a little too close for comfort. We're going to go ahead and light the candle. Anyone on board who isn't berthed needs to exit immediately and get into one of the blast-shelters. And I mean right now." The mission commander again.

Not now, she thought, panicked, not now. Not ready. Why couldn't it wait until I was unconscious?

But the rumbling filled her ears. Loud, so loud, they were taking off, they really were. No. Not flying. Hate flying. Want to be unconscious now.

Afraid.

Afraid of dying and never knowing. Earth. Good-bye. Let us live. Let us live.

Earth. Mommy. Daddy. Watch over me, watch over Jessie, watch over us, good-bye Earth, good-bye, good-bye, scared, oh God, so scared.....

And then she was blessedly unconscious.