The abyss
by jalpari
Keith remembers something startling and as inexplicable as it seems, he decides to trust his instincts.
A/N:
I was so proud of myself when I thought of the Quantum Abyss and connected it to my story line haha.
Can't wait for y'all to read the next few chapters!
"That's it…", Keith spoke to Bani, "this is how far we can go safely. Kosmo can teleport me inside."
"So this is the Quantum Abyss...", Pidge stared in awe at the jumble of massive stars and celestial objects floating in the distance.
"Yes", Bani stood beside her, smiling and admiring the view. "The abyss is filled with large dark stars orbited by dense neutron stars, which causes all nearby celestial bodies to be chaotically pulled into different directions."
Pidge turned to face her, fascinated.
"The concentration of such massive objects", Bani continued, "creates unusual effects on gravitational waves and affects the fabric of space-time itself! The area around the abyss is full of warped chunks of organic debris."
"That doesn't sound safe", Hunk frowned.
"There is a very precise path through the abyss that is relatively unaffected and safe enough to travel", Keith replied.
"And what happens if you fall off the path?" Pidge crossed her arms across her chest.
"Uh…", Keith leaned against the table, "...getting too close to gravity wells and their space-time drop-offs can be...fatal...it could...stretch me into nothingness.
"Yeahhh", Hunk rolled his eyes, "That sounds totally safe!"
"I'm coming too", Luten stepped forward.
"No", Keith snapped. "It's not worth risking more people. Plus, you won't be of any help."
"Excuse me?" an irritated Luten stood in front of Keith. "I won't be of any help?"
"Yes…", Keith replied matter of factly. "I've been there before...for a long time. Oh, that's another thing...time is different there..."
"I don't need your permiss…", Luten glared at Keith but was interrupted.
"I remember!" Pidge exclaimed. "You were stuck there for two years and only four or five days had passed by for us!"
"What?!" Luten looked alarmed.
"So if you mess up, you could be stuck there for years and years and come back all old and wrinkled or worse….die there?!" Hunk gasped.
"That won't happen" Keith sighed and walked to Kosmo. "We can't waste anymore time than we already have. It took us a day to get here. That means she's already been there for several months."
"But how will you know where to go?" Bani spoke. "And what if she isn't there?"
"I'll figure it out", Keith nodded at Kosmo, and when his eyes opened, he was in the abyss.
Keith stood on a floating chunk of rock and scanned the abyss. Within seconds and much to his relief, he picked up the pod's tracking signal. He made his way carefully through the haphazard objects with Kosmo by his side.
Soon, he was close to the pod but it was out of his reach. It stood still, suspended in the void, far away from any celestial object in its vicinity. Keith frowned and looked at his screen. The pod was just outside the safe path.
"Oh boy!" He rubbed the back of his neck.
After a few more minutes of looking around for other options, he finally gave up and turned to Kosmo.
"You think you can get us in there?" He knelt down and petted the pup.
Kosmo wagged his tail and followed Keith's gaze. He sniffed the air and let out a soft howl.
"I'll take that as a yes", Keith sighed.
When they landed inside, Keith stumbled and fell to the ground. He looked around and smiled as he recognized the pod.
"Good job, boy!"
He stood up and scrambled to the pilot seat hastily but froze when he saw her limp body. He had been hoping that part of the vision wouldn't be true. He reached out and felt for a pulse. He relaxed his shoulders when he found a soft and slow beating. He gently picked her up and lay her down in the back. He touched her forehead, leaned closer to feel her heartbeat and check her breathing. Everything about her vitals was normal, weaker, but normal.
"Noor", he mumbled as he shook her slowly. "Wake up…"
There was no response. He frowned and looked at Kosmo.
"Alright, c'mon boy. Take us back."
Kosmo barked softly and didn't move.
"C'mon boy…", Keith repeated.
Kosmo ignored him and lay down beside Noor.
"Why aren't you...do you not want to..." Keith looked at the pup, confused. "Do we...do we need to wait here?"
Kosmo looked at him and barked once more. Keith looked at the pup, then back at Noor. He decided to trust Kosmo. The dog was, after all, from the abyss. Maybe he knew something Keith didn't. He ran his hand through his hair and sat back, glancing every now and then at the still body. Her chest rose and fell ever so gently. He leaned forward and moved aside the strand of hair that was covering her face and sighed.
"You stupid girl."
Keith jolted awake all of a sudden, hand on his blade. It took him a few seconds to remember where he was. He looked at his screen and guessed that it had probably been a few hours since he found the pod. Noor still hadn't moved.
He was beginning to worry. With every passing hour he felt a dread creep over him. It frustrated him how helpless he felt. He didn't want to go back to the others and leave her alone. But Kosmo still refused to teleport her back with him.
"She's been here for almost a year now", he spoke impatiently. "We need to take her back, Kosmo!"
The pup licked his arm and returned to Noor's side patiently.
Keith groaned and shook his head. He watched Noor again.
"Please wake up…"
He sat back and felt himself drifting off again. Just as he began dozing, he heard a gasp.
He jumped closer and saw Noor take in a long deep breath. He rubbed his eyes, unsure if it was a dream or real. But then Noor's grey eyes found his and they stared at each other in disbelief.
"Keith!?" Noor spoke in a hoarse voice, "What are you doi…"
He didn't wait for her to finish. He jumped forward and pulled her into a hug. Noor froze in shock, unable to understand what was going on. Many questions buzzed around in her head.
How long had he been here! Was everyone else okay? How did he know to come to the abyss!
She snapped back to reality when she heard his whispers.
"I thought you were...I wasn't sure what to do…"
He kept hugging her tighter with every word. Noor was taken aback but as she heard his frantic voice, she instinctively wrapped her arms around him.
"Don't ever do that Noor. Don't ever leave. Please."
"I...I…"
"You can't just run away."
"I…I'm sorry."
Keith pulled back but didn't let her go.
"It's been two days in our time! You were in here for almost a year, Noor! What happened?"
"What the hell are YOU doing here, Keith? How did you even find me...how are the others...are they okay? Oh my god...how long have YOU been here!? What the hell is wrong with…"
Keith pulled her in for another hug and this time Noor sighed and let herself be held. She was glad to see him. She was glad to be back. She was grateful for the human contact and grounded herself in the warmth of his body.
"You're an idiot", her muttered.
"And I thought you weren't the hugging type", she chuckled.
Keith pulled her closer and didn't say anything.
"Wow I must have really scared you, mullet man", she tried joking.
"You did", Keith whispered softly.
"Keith?" Noor pulled back and looked at him in concern. "What's going on? You're behaving...weird. Is everything okay?"
Keith looked at her in disbelief. A slow anger began rising in him.
"What do you mean 'is everything okay'?! Of course everything is not okay! You disappeared without telling anyone. And then I find you passed out, floating around in the abyss alone!"
Noor flinched at his outburst.
"How would you feel if you were in my position?!" He glared at her.
Noor avoided his gaze. She knew exactly what would have happened in the past if he or the others were in danger.
"I…I...but how did you even find me?"
Keith sighed and leaned back. He looked at her for a few seconds and then spoke softly.
"Remember I told you I was stuck here once?"
"Yeah, with your mother...for two years."
"Well, the solar flares here...they trigger visions of the past and future."
"So?"
"One of the visions I saw when I was here the last time, was a floating pod. I was looking at it from the outside and I saw someone inside. An unconscious girl. At the time, I didn't know what it was. It didn't make any sense. But now...I realized...it was you."