Chapter 4- Sims
"I'm walking away
from the troubles in my life
I'm walking away
Gonna' find a better day…" Angela sang the words to a Lenny Kravitz song softly to herself. For the last few months that song had described her feelings pretty well, and now she was finally walking away. Well, more like flying away. It didn't completely feel right being here with Ace. This guy seemed way to care-free. He wasn't very Rimmer-like at all. Angela rested her head in her hands, hitting herself. She deserved to be hit. She had allowed herself to make decisions that would affect her entire life in moments with little or no thought involved, and now once again she felt miserable. This was not where she was meant to be.
Angela suddenly felt the urge to go back. To lay beneath the covers in her quarters.
"Angela, I can't help but notice you seem so much quieter then before." Said Ace.
Angela didn't really want to reply to that. "Are we going to get to the ship giving out the distress signal soon?" She asked.
'Um, Bout' an hour."
~
Lister really didn't have much hope, but unlike the others he had to try. He would never be able to live with himself if he didn't. Lister steered Starbug in a random direction. He didn't know where to look for her. Where could she be? The scanners had been picking up a very light signal from blue midget before, but now there was nothing. Either she completely rigged the scans, or she was gone. Lister prayed that it was the first one. Angela always knew how to hack into things. She had done it many times before. The vending machine on D deck thought it was a flying monkey named Fred, and didn't give anything but bananas. Lister wasn't sure why she had done that. It was cute, though. Angela was part of the crew. That would never change no matter where she was.
Lister steered Starbug around a small planetoid. It didn't have much gravity, so it wasn't that much of a threat. Lister flew closer until he began to pick up a signal, At first he thought it was Angela, and shouted "Brutal!" But then he realized it wasn't her at all. Simulants! They just kind of appeared there out of no where. Lister knew there ships could easily out-run Starbug, but he had to try to lose them. Lister turned around as fast as the bug would allow and started going the other way, hoping the Sims didn't pick him up yet, but that wasn't likely. What if Angela was on their ship? He could not handle this alone, he had to get back to Red Dwarf. That wouldn't be easy, he had been in Starbug fir a few hours , and we pretty far away. He started going full speed. If he want as fast as possible and totally blew out the engines, he could maybe make it back in an hour, and if he played his cards right, it could be just enough time to avoid the Sims. "Smeggin' hell" Said Lister, pulling out the in- flight magazine from the seat. He sat there flipping through it while Starbug was on auto-pilot, even reading boring articles didn't calm him down this time.
~
Kristine Kochanski rushed into Rimmer and Myra's quarters without knocking. They weren't doing the dirty work, but Rimmer did have his shirt off. Theresa began to cry.
"Myra! Arn! Dave is gone!!!!" She shouted with tears in her eyes.
Myra's eyes widened. "What do you mean *Gone*?" Shouted Myra.
"He's gone! Holly told me he literally isn't on the ship, where could he have gone?" She sobbed.
"No offence, Kris, but it doesn't take half a brain to figure out where he went!" Said Myra, reasonable calmly.
"Fine then, where is he?" Kochanski continued to sob.
"Out looking for Angela! About time someone did." Said Myra, as she brushed some of her dark hair out of the way of her deep blue eyes.
"Without telling any of us?" Kochanski stopped sobbing for a moment. Rimmer handed Theresa to Myra and got up to hand Kris a tissue. Rimmer had gotten more sensitive over the years with Myra.
Myra gave Theresa a kiss on her forehead. "Maybe. He probably didn't want to tell any of us because we would try and stop him."
Kris took the tissue. "Thank you" She said as she wiped her wet eyes.
"Why would we have stopped him?" Asked Rimmer, pulling his shirt up over his head.
"Lets go try and make contact with him. Sweetie, will you go see if one of the starbugs or midgets is missing?" Myra asked.
"Of course." He stepped out of the room.
Myra gave Kris a friendly hug, but they both had a lot on their minds."
~
"Smeg smeg smeg!" Mumbled Lister. The Simulants had taken notice to him, and were coming closer. Lister was still forty-five minutes from the dwarf at the least!
"Mr. Lister sir!"
Lister looked at the monitor, it was full of static. "Kryten? That you?"
"Oh Mr. Lister! Where did you go?" Shouted Kryten.
"Where d'you think I went, Krytes." Said Lister in a slight panic.
"Oh Mr. Lister, I was worried!"
"Hate to break it to ya man, but I do have a bit of a problem." Said Lister. Kryten began to sense the panic in Lister's voice.
"Dave, what's going on?" Now it was Kris's voice.
"Kris, I've got Simulants tracking me! Dunno' if I'm gonna' make it!"
The picture on the screen began to get clearer. "Dave, which directing did you fly?" Asked Kris.
"North east."
"Alright, I'll start flying the dwarf that way, we'll make it Dave, I promise!"
"Oh smeg, they're getting closer on the screen! Any way I can speed this baby up?" Now Dave was really beginning to panic.
"Dave, you always taught me to stay calm in a time of crisis!" Kris said, in a way to try and calm Lister down. I did a little bit.
"I'm tryin', Kris."
"I'm walking away
from the troubles in my life
I'm walking away
Gonna' find a better day…" Angela sang the words to a Lenny Kravitz song softly to herself. For the last few months that song had described her feelings pretty well, and now she was finally walking away. Well, more like flying away. It didn't completely feel right being here with Ace. This guy seemed way to care-free. He wasn't very Rimmer-like at all. Angela rested her head in her hands, hitting herself. She deserved to be hit. She had allowed herself to make decisions that would affect her entire life in moments with little or no thought involved, and now once again she felt miserable. This was not where she was meant to be.
Angela suddenly felt the urge to go back. To lay beneath the covers in her quarters.
"Angela, I can't help but notice you seem so much quieter then before." Said Ace.
Angela didn't really want to reply to that. "Are we going to get to the ship giving out the distress signal soon?" She asked.
'Um, Bout' an hour."
~
Lister really didn't have much hope, but unlike the others he had to try. He would never be able to live with himself if he didn't. Lister steered Starbug in a random direction. He didn't know where to look for her. Where could she be? The scanners had been picking up a very light signal from blue midget before, but now there was nothing. Either she completely rigged the scans, or she was gone. Lister prayed that it was the first one. Angela always knew how to hack into things. She had done it many times before. The vending machine on D deck thought it was a flying monkey named Fred, and didn't give anything but bananas. Lister wasn't sure why she had done that. It was cute, though. Angela was part of the crew. That would never change no matter where she was.
Lister steered Starbug around a small planetoid. It didn't have much gravity, so it wasn't that much of a threat. Lister flew closer until he began to pick up a signal, At first he thought it was Angela, and shouted "Brutal!" But then he realized it wasn't her at all. Simulants! They just kind of appeared there out of no where. Lister knew there ships could easily out-run Starbug, but he had to try to lose them. Lister turned around as fast as the bug would allow and started going the other way, hoping the Sims didn't pick him up yet, but that wasn't likely. What if Angela was on their ship? He could not handle this alone, he had to get back to Red Dwarf. That wouldn't be easy, he had been in Starbug fir a few hours , and we pretty far away. He started going full speed. If he want as fast as possible and totally blew out the engines, he could maybe make it back in an hour, and if he played his cards right, it could be just enough time to avoid the Sims. "Smeggin' hell" Said Lister, pulling out the in- flight magazine from the seat. He sat there flipping through it while Starbug was on auto-pilot, even reading boring articles didn't calm him down this time.
~
Kristine Kochanski rushed into Rimmer and Myra's quarters without knocking. They weren't doing the dirty work, but Rimmer did have his shirt off. Theresa began to cry.
"Myra! Arn! Dave is gone!!!!" She shouted with tears in her eyes.
Myra's eyes widened. "What do you mean *Gone*?" Shouted Myra.
"He's gone! Holly told me he literally isn't on the ship, where could he have gone?" She sobbed.
"No offence, Kris, but it doesn't take half a brain to figure out where he went!" Said Myra, reasonable calmly.
"Fine then, where is he?" Kochanski continued to sob.
"Out looking for Angela! About time someone did." Said Myra, as she brushed some of her dark hair out of the way of her deep blue eyes.
"Without telling any of us?" Kochanski stopped sobbing for a moment. Rimmer handed Theresa to Myra and got up to hand Kris a tissue. Rimmer had gotten more sensitive over the years with Myra.
Myra gave Theresa a kiss on her forehead. "Maybe. He probably didn't want to tell any of us because we would try and stop him."
Kris took the tissue. "Thank you" She said as she wiped her wet eyes.
"Why would we have stopped him?" Asked Rimmer, pulling his shirt up over his head.
"Lets go try and make contact with him. Sweetie, will you go see if one of the starbugs or midgets is missing?" Myra asked.
"Of course." He stepped out of the room.
Myra gave Kris a friendly hug, but they both had a lot on their minds."
~
"Smeg smeg smeg!" Mumbled Lister. The Simulants had taken notice to him, and were coming closer. Lister was still forty-five minutes from the dwarf at the least!
"Mr. Lister sir!"
Lister looked at the monitor, it was full of static. "Kryten? That you?"
"Oh Mr. Lister! Where did you go?" Shouted Kryten.
"Where d'you think I went, Krytes." Said Lister in a slight panic.
"Oh Mr. Lister, I was worried!"
"Hate to break it to ya man, but I do have a bit of a problem." Said Lister. Kryten began to sense the panic in Lister's voice.
"Dave, what's going on?" Now it was Kris's voice.
"Kris, I've got Simulants tracking me! Dunno' if I'm gonna' make it!"
The picture on the screen began to get clearer. "Dave, which directing did you fly?" Asked Kris.
"North east."
"Alright, I'll start flying the dwarf that way, we'll make it Dave, I promise!"
"Oh smeg, they're getting closer on the screen! Any way I can speed this baby up?" Now Dave was really beginning to panic.
"Dave, you always taught me to stay calm in a time of crisis!" Kris said, in a way to try and calm Lister down. I did a little bit.
"I'm tryin', Kris."