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Chapter two: ΰΉΙΰΉ Ε¦ΰΈΰΈ£ΡΰΉΰΉΰΈ ΡΰΉ
Pan strolled into the bar, repaired miners helmet tucked under an arm. Pool tables to the left, all but one were occupied. Ceiling fans stirred the cigarette smoke loafing in the air. The lights flickered. Dust rumbled from the ceiling as a flatbed truck followed by a front and backhoe loader passed by.
Yet it was all merely background noise when compared to the women with the mop of Irish hair. Posed between two bar stools as if she owned the establishment, her elbows lounging on the cushions. She had been dressed in a pair of mustard overalls, stained with oil. The left strap was loose and dangling down her shoulder. He couldn't stop himself from grinning when he took notice of the form fitted blouse underneath. Black. Just like the wing tipped eyeliner and lashes she batted his way.
She looked at him. The helmet stowed beneath his arm. A smirk followed.
Gesturing for the bartender, she said, "The usual. And give the Eiffel Tower over there whatever he wants."
Pan barked a laugh. Straddling a bar stool, he took his seat and passed her the helmet. Whereupon she squinted at it, held it up to the light, and gave it quite the thorough examination. Every once in a while, however, she shot Pan a playful look.
She finished by way of licking her finger and pretending to clean away a smudge from the visor. "Not bad. Had better. But not bad."
The bartender slid her a beer spruced up with an orange slice. He knocked on the glass case behind him and lifted his chin at Pan.
"And for you?"
"An Old Fashioned, mein Freund. And replace the Bourbon with a generous splash of Rye."
"You're fancy," She set her helmet down and hopped up onto the bar stool beside him. A sigh passed her lips after she swung down a swallow from her beer. "And expensive."
Pan tapped a finger against his lips. "Hmm. I seem to be recalling the words: Whatever he wants."
She laughed.
"Got a name?"
"Mademoiselle. Ladies first."
She took another drink. Peeled off a triangle from her orange slice and plopped it into her mouth. The citrus on her breath made her name all the more whimsical to him when she said it.
"Holly. Holly Leonhardt. The Leonhardt has a D in it, just so you know. And don't ask."
Pan chuckled. The bartender laid a coaster down before setting his Old Fashioned atop it, the ice clinking. He took a sip.
"Well now, Holly. A beautiful name for a beautiful woman, truly," Another sip. He smiled through the burn tickling his nostrils. "You should come to know me as Pan. Pan Darsteller," He gave her a wink. "The one and only. And please, I insist. Do ask."
That earned him another laugh.
She twirled a lock of hair and said his name as if she were searching to see if it had any value to her. After a moment of contemplation, her expression softened considerably. "So, why is a guy like you all the way out here in the armpit of space?"
"An old colleague of mine holds a seat within the board of directors for the CEC. He was kind enough to put a good word in for me after I fulfilled my contract on Gonvistea."
"Gonvistea?" Holly spat the name out of her mouth. "Jesus Freakin' Christ."
Pan hummed deeply from the chest. "It was not easy, rest assured."
"How long were you there?"
Pan took a sip off of his Old Fashioned.
"Two years," Holly lifted a brow. When he didn't give her a response, she lowered her voice. "Three?"
He stared straight ahead. After another sip, his lips curled into a smirk. "I retired."
Holly's expression blanked.
Then she slammed a hand down on the table and waved for the bartender. "Hey! Hey, Ricky! Moneybags over here says he wants to pick up my tab! And can you add one of those artificial shrimp cocktails? Extra shrimps!"
Pan tucked his chin down and laughed. His cheeks brightened. He shot Holly a knowing smile.
She hopped her bar stool closer to him. "What? You know you're gonna have some, don't even."
His smile widened.
He swept an arm around her waist and pulled her into him. She squealed with a laugh, crossed one leg over the other, and molded her body to his.
"I would propose the same question to you," He lifted her chin up with his forefinger and thumb. "Why would a woman such as yourself with so much zeal remove herself to the Cygnus system?"
Her brilliant, emerald eyes dimmed. She shrugged a shoulder and looked towards the floor.
"...I grew up on Vinduaga. Family's a bunch of nobodies but Grandpa was a miner. That's how he was able to get off of that shit hole. So I put myself through school, got my license, and did like him. I got the Hell out of there. This just so happens to be my first assignment."
"To think a treasure such as yourself would spring up from Vinduaga."
"Looks like we've both had it rough," She took his hand from her chin, brought it to her lips, and pressed a kiss to the stub where his pinkie should have been. "But you learn a few things, after rootin' around in the dirt like I do. You find out that the junk you dig up is a lot like people. Most of it's not worthwhile and will crumble in your hands. But the stuff that lasts? You can only find that down deep in the crust after it's been through Hell and back."
Pan smiled. Softly. "And here you've had me fooled. You are full of surprises, young lady. I failed to recognize you for the poetic type."
She kissed his hand again.
"Guess it just takes the right man to dig it outta me."
The bartender set their shrimp cocktail down, garnished with a sprig of cilantro and lemon wedge. An additional plate of shrimp followed.
Holly plucked one by the tail, scooped it through the cocktail sauce, and held it up to Pan's mouth. He chuckled, a droop to his eyelids. Then he allowed her to feed it to him, and she brushed her fingertips against his lips and lingered.
They gazed at each other. He chewed slowly. And when he swallowed, he struggled to do so around the wanton flutter of his heart.
Holly slipped a hand onto his upper thigh.
"I think I like you."
Blood stains the uniforms of those arguing over the tram in the Crew Deck. Those unwilling to sort their differences have taken to foot and are scaling the floor of the subway tracks.
An alarm rings from a trio of bells on the ceiling. The lights switch off and everyone is bathed in a pulsing red.
Hazardous anomaly detected. Quarantine activated. Please standby.
"What the Hell is going on?!"
"Did anyone see that just now?"
"I don't want to die. I don't want to die. I don't want to die."
"Just what the fuck were those things?!"
"What things?"
"Can't somebody do something?!"
"I need to get to my wife in Hydroponics! She's waiting for me!"
"What was that?!"
"Get out of my way! I don't care, we're boarding!"
"But the door is locked!"
"Everybody just stay calm."
"I don't want to die. I don't want to die. I don't want to die."
A woman fumbles a hand behind her until she finds the wall. She slides down and spreads her legs, a puddle leaking forward. "Oh, god. Oh god, please. Somebody help me. My water just broke."
"Ma'm. It's going to be okay," A man squats in front of her and checks her pulse. "I'm a nurse. We'll get you to the medical wing as soon as the quarantine lifts. But until then, I need you to take deep breaths."
"Don't let them take my baby. Please don't let them hurt my baby."
"I don't want to die. I don't want to die. I don't want to die."
"Can somebody shut him up?"
"Leave him alone. He's just scared like the rest of us."
"Well I don't trust him."
"We should leave him as soon as the tram is back online. He can catch the next one."
The disturbed man gives himself a hug, fingernails sinking into his arms. He draws blood and begins rocking himself. "I don't want to die. I don't want to die. I don't want to die."
"Yeah, well, neither do I. So shut the fuck up."
Continuing to rock himself, the disturbed man shuffles over to the pregnant woman and nurse. He mimics the nurse and squats, scooching closer to him like a parrot seeking shelter. The pregnant woman holds her belly and turns her torso away from him.
The nurse wraps an arm around the disturbed man. "It's alright. No one is going to hurt you."
Everyone looks up at the ceiling when the alarms cease. The blaring red recedes and the lights twitch back on.
Hazardous anomaly has been neutralized. Quarantine lifted.
"Well it's about time."
"What did it mean by neutralized?"
"Who knows. This ship is how old by now?"
"Whatever. It was probably just a system malfunction. We get those all the time down in Filtration."
"Alright. Everyone heading to the shuttles, let's go ahead and get on board."
"The shuttles?! Didn't anybody hear me? I said I need to get to Hydroponics!"
"You can get your wife after the rest of us get to the shuttles."
"No! She could be dead by then!"
"Don't be so dramatic."
"I don't want to die! I don't want to die! I don't want to die!"
"Can somebody shut him the fuck up?!"
The nurse takes to his feet, hands patting the air in a gentle gesture. "Let's just take it easy. We're all in this together. How about we head to Hydroponics and pick up his wife, swing by medical so I can help these two, then we can head to the shuttles together?"
The pregnant woman gasps like an athsmatic. She clutches her stomach, lurches forward, and screams.
"Please," The nurse says. "She's in pain."
Everyone shares a glance with one another. They mumble a few words. Someone scratches the back of their neck.
"Come on, guys."
"Yeah. Let's do the right thing."
"Does she need any help getting up?"
"She can have my seat. I don't mind standing."
"I don't want to die. I don't want to die," Trembling still, the disturbed man reaches forward and pats the pregnant woman on the shoulder. She shrieks and tries to kick herself away.
"Stay away from me! He wants my baby! They want my baby!"
"I don't want to die!"
The disturbed man shoots to his feet, twists to face the nurse, and whispers, "We're all going to die."
"No. It's going to be alright. These nice people and I are going to get you some help."
Eyes widening, the disturbed man looks up. He stares at the lights above without blinking. "We're all going to die. We're all going to die. We're all going to die."
The nurse fills his lungs. He places a hand on the disturbed man's back, recoiling when the disturbed man cries out as if he had instead been scorched by a hot poker.
He lunges for the nurse and grabs his face, fingernails biting into his cheeks. The nurse puts his hands up and yelps. Someone shouts for them to stop. The disturbed man grapples with the nurse and forces him into the tram lobby, screaming like a hyena.
"We're all going to die! We're all going to die!" He shoves the nurse through one of the glass windows and it shatters. The nurse hits the ground and gurgles. Blood spreads out in a pool from his head. Leaping after the nurse, the disturbed man grabs a shard of glass and begins stabbing him in the ear. "We're all going to die!"
"Crazy mother fucker! Somebody stop him!"
"Did he just kill that man!?"
"I told you! I told you we couldn't trust him!"
"What is wrong with you?!"
"We're all going to die! We're all going to die!" Blood spurts into the air. "We're all going to die!"
A gunshot echos through the tram station.
Everyone freezes. But the disturbed man continues to stab the nurse, now gripping the glass shard with both hands.
Pan enters the tram station from the hallway around the corner, and sweeps his gun at the crowd before him in warning. Then he relaxes it back at the ceiling.
A trio of neon green lights peek out from behind his back. "Oh my god. What the Hellβ¦"
Pan gestures with his freehand for Holly to stay behind him.
He clears his throat and takes a step forward. His words leave his tongue heavy with his German accent, sharp and pitched.
"She and I will be boarding the tram absent company. Should anyone choose to take issue with this, understand that I will not hesitate to kill you."
Whispering. The crowd collects together and steps away from the tram.
Pan has Holly move in front of him. He keeps a hand on her shoulder, the other trained with his finger on the trigger. They walk forward.
Holly stops and Pan bumps into her.
She gasps a horrible sound upon spotting the pregnant woman, cradling her stomach. She's on her side now. There's blood mixed in with the silky fluid puddled around her.
Holly's helmet disengages. She shakes her head and looks back at Pan. "We can't leave her, Pan. We can't just leave her."
Pan spares a glance at the crowd of worried faces and dirty looks. His attention turns to the pregnant woman and the man playing with the gore pile. He looks at the pregnant woman once again before facing Holly. "Plot a course for the Medical Deck's emergency ward. We will join you in a moment."
Holly wears her gratitude within the gleam of her eyes. Her helmet climbs back over her head and she races into the tram. All the while Pan keeps his gun aimed at the crowd.
He takes careful steps towards the pregnant woman. "Fraulein. My dear, can you stand?"
She shakes her head and whimpers.
Pan takes a knee beside her. He offers her his hand and helps her to her feet. "Shh. You're quite alright. We will see you to the-"
"We're all going to die!" The disturbed man scrambles to his feet. He's soaked in blood, stained from the chin down, like an animal that had been feasting.
"Stay where you are, mein Freund," Pan points his gun at the man. "I will not ask again."
The disturbed man cackles. He yanks a fistful of hair off of his scalp, looks at it, and starts sobbing. He jumps up and down. Then he reaches towards the ground, grabs two shards of glass, and jabs them into the meat of his palms.
He runs at Pan like he's got a bomb strapped to his chest. "We're all going to die! We're all going to die!"
The pregnant woman screams. The crowd shouts in an uproar.
A gunshot cracks through the tram station.
The disturbed man hits the floor skidding, face down.
Pan guides the pregnant woman around the body and into the tram. The doors shut with a mechanical groan.
Chest heaving with unsteady breaths, the pregnant woman falls back onto one of the bench seats. She grabs one of the standing poles with both hands and cries out.
Holly selects the Medical deck and the tram zips forward, leaving the lights of the Crew Deck station behind them. She sits across from the pregnant woman, and Pan chooses to stand. He holsters his gun.
"Hey," Holly offers, gently. "It's gonna be okay."
The pregnant woman shakes her head.
"We'll be there any sec now. I promise."
"They want my baby. They want," She shakes her head again, tears spilling from her eyes. "They want my flesh."
Pan and Holly exchange a glance, the lights from their visors flickering across one another. He puts a hand on his gun. "Who is it that you are speaking of, Fraulein? Who are they?"
Using the pole to stand, the pregnant woman gets up on her feet. Her knees are wobbling. She looks past Holly and Pan, her expression hollow. "I won't let you take us."
She steps forward and Pan points his gun at her. Holly jumps up from her seat. "Pan! She's pregnant! The Hell is she gonna do?!"
Pan puts a protective arm in front of Holly. He keeps his gun on the pregnant woman. "Fraulein. Do what's best for us all and return to your seat. We will reach the Medical deck shortly."
The pregnant woman takes another step. She turns for the doors.
"Fraulein, please," Pan pleads. "I do not wish to hurt you."
Holly tries to move forward. Pan blocks her with his arm.
The pregnant woman stands before the doors. "They want my baby. They want our flesh. I-I won't let them take us."
"No!" Holly tries to claw forward again, but Pan stops her. "Don't do it! Don't do it!"
The pregnant woman pulls the emergency latch for the doors to open. The tram howls, wind rushing by it. Holly shrieks and the pregnant woman flings herself outside. Her body hits one of the advertisements jutting from the wall with a wet thump.
Holly's helmet peels back over her head. She screams at Pan. "Why did you stop me?!"
"I-I could not chance the risk of her dragging you out with her," Pan's helmet disengages. His eyes are wet. "Please, liebling. I am so very sorry."
Holly's jaw drops and she gasps around a sob. She presses her forehead against his chest and weeps.
"Oh my god. What's even happening right now. What the Hell is going on."
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I hope it's not too far of a stretch for there to be a pregnant woman onboard the Ishimura, considering the crew had two hundred or so familial members listed in personnel. For me, I like to think that planet cracking operations can take several months, so there's a chance this woman in the chapter wasn't aware that she was pregnant, and then found out as time progressed.
If you're a fan of the series and have extensive knowledge, you'll notice that I've taken a few creative liberties here and there. I hope ya'll don't mind.
Not much else to say. Other than Oof. And thank you for reading.