Surreal. That was how all of this felt. I was lost in a distorted abstract painting. The only reality was the pain. I knew it wasn't a figment of my imagination. The tears on my pillow, tainted with my mascara, were proof of that. But Harper was in the Machine Shop building one of those gadgets he called projects. Lise was in Medical Bay recovering. This was an elaborate hoax, a cruel practical joke. As much as I had argued with them and not openly expressed it, every crew member was a family member to me. Rafe had abandoned me more than once and caused me more pain than I cared to remember. I didn't know if I could handle losing any of them, especially if it was my fault that they had been lost.
"Beka?" A voice entered my room through the doorway. Dylan's voice.
I had to regain my composure, my strength. I had to re-erect that barrier between my emotions and outer appearance. "Yeah?"
"Are you all right?" His concern was evident.
I sat up, dangling my feet over the edge of the bed, my back to him. I wasn't ready to face him yet. Maybe I wouldn't ever be ready. "I'm fine," I lied.
"Harper's still on the planet. Are you up to doing a run over the surface in the Maru to scan for him?"
"Just give me a minute to get ready."
I heard his soft footsteps and the closing of the door. I trudged across the room and looked at myself in the mirror. I washed away the smeared mascara. My eyes were bloodshot. I wondered where I left those eye drops Trance had given me when I had an eye infection. Those cleared up my eyes before. I started digging through my drawers.
"I really need to throw away some of this junk." I found the eye drops. I put a couple of drops in each eye and dropped the bottle back in the drawer.
I smoothed the wrinkles out of my clothing. I stepped out into the corridor and began walking towards the Hangar Bay. I passed Trance and weakly smiled. She was my good luck charm. It had to be a positive sign that I saw her. I was desperately looking for anything to grasp onto as hope. I couldn't get the images of what I'd seen on Utrecht before, all the violence and cruel torture methods. Lise and Harper didn't have a chance of escaping the pros.
Dylan and Rommie were in the Hangar Bay. "Beka, we've modified the Maru's sensors," Dylan said.
"They will detect Harper's cerebral port if you're within 25 kilometers of him. If you use the fastest route, east to west sweeps, it will take you approximately two days to scan the entire continent," Rommie said.
"Well, then I'd better start now. Every second counts." Whoever had kidnapped Harper and Lise would probably force information from them in one way or another, including information about the Maru. The second they detected the Maru, they'd be off Utrecht on their way to some forsaken planet.
I boarded the Maru and descended into the planet's atmosphere. I started the sweeps a little less than a kilometer above the surface. Now it was just a matter of time and luck.
"Beka?" A voice entered my room through the doorway. Dylan's voice.
I had to regain my composure, my strength. I had to re-erect that barrier between my emotions and outer appearance. "Yeah?"
"Are you all right?" His concern was evident.
I sat up, dangling my feet over the edge of the bed, my back to him. I wasn't ready to face him yet. Maybe I wouldn't ever be ready. "I'm fine," I lied.
"Harper's still on the planet. Are you up to doing a run over the surface in the Maru to scan for him?"
"Just give me a minute to get ready."
I heard his soft footsteps and the closing of the door. I trudged across the room and looked at myself in the mirror. I washed away the smeared mascara. My eyes were bloodshot. I wondered where I left those eye drops Trance had given me when I had an eye infection. Those cleared up my eyes before. I started digging through my drawers.
"I really need to throw away some of this junk." I found the eye drops. I put a couple of drops in each eye and dropped the bottle back in the drawer.
I smoothed the wrinkles out of my clothing. I stepped out into the corridor and began walking towards the Hangar Bay. I passed Trance and weakly smiled. She was my good luck charm. It had to be a positive sign that I saw her. I was desperately looking for anything to grasp onto as hope. I couldn't get the images of what I'd seen on Utrecht before, all the violence and cruel torture methods. Lise and Harper didn't have a chance of escaping the pros.
Dylan and Rommie were in the Hangar Bay. "Beka, we've modified the Maru's sensors," Dylan said.
"They will detect Harper's cerebral port if you're within 25 kilometers of him. If you use the fastest route, east to west sweeps, it will take you approximately two days to scan the entire continent," Rommie said.
"Well, then I'd better start now. Every second counts." Whoever had kidnapped Harper and Lise would probably force information from them in one way or another, including information about the Maru. The second they detected the Maru, they'd be off Utrecht on their way to some forsaken planet.
I boarded the Maru and descended into the planet's atmosphere. I started the sweeps a little less than a kilometer above the surface. Now it was just a matter of time and luck.
