++++++++++++++++++
Beka flashed the light round bouncing it off the walls. "It's weird don't you think I wonder what happened here. Your scanner gave us the okay against any bio hazards." When Harper didn't respond she turned to face him her light following her eyes. The small engineer leaned against the wall with his eyes closed. "Harper?" she asked worriedly and lightly tapped him on the shoulder. He jumped slightly with surprise.
"What boss? Sorry I wasn't paying attention."
"That's it were heading back!"
"Really Beka I'm good."
"The more you say you're good the more I know you're sick. What's that saying. you protest to much."
"I really was thinking! I think I know where the breaker box is." He reached forward at took the light from her hand and started walking. "We were on that station once remember.Teflon drift."
"Telefornia."
"What ever. Anyway I was helping those station engineer guys during the power outage."
Beka nodded remembering.
"The one guy said they always but the main power core in the same spot in like 90% of the drifts. Well I don't know drifts as well as I know ships but I'm pretty sure." Harper had reached a door and pulled it open. "Voila.eww!" A think mud green paste slid from the room onto the foot of his E.V.A. suit
Beka let out a low chuckle.
"Hey, I'm getting slimed here!"
Beka took the flashlight back and shined it into the small room. There was computer equipment everywhere. Harper let out a low whistle of appreciation. The floor was covered two inches think with the green slime. "It looked like it was once pretty high-tech. but it must be old look how decayed everything is."
Harper gingerly stepped into the room being careful not to slip. "I wonder what this stuff is. other then gross I mean." Harper stepped up to one of the counsels and pressed so much buttons with out response. "Beka, this stuff isn't old as all in fact it's all cutting edge. I saw a news reel not long ago about it. It's at the most a couple of months old."
"Harper it's impossible! Look!" She reached over to one of the computer stations and a piece of it crumbled in her hand. "Unless, maybe the green slime is corrosive."
Harper looked down at the slime on his boots concerned. "Well it's not fast acting any way. I don't know boss." He shrugged. "I don't get it."
"Can you get the lights on at least?"
"Maybe emergency back up, but we'll need to be lucky." He stepped deeper into the room disappearing behind a wall of electronics.
Beka stood in the slime-covered room glancing around nervously. Other then the one skull there was no sigh of any people. Harper was right it was creepy. "Harper?" her voice echoed slightly and there was no reply. "Now where did he go?" she whispered to her self. There was a slight sucking noise to her right like some one had taken a step. She flashed the light in that direction but there was no one there.
Here heart started to beat a little faster. "Harper?"
"Yeah boss?" Asked Harper. Beka jumped with surprise, as he appeared at her side. She slapped him on the shoulder.
"Ow. What was that for?"
"Did you find the controls?"
"Yeah I think." He rubbed his shoulder and looked at her warily. "I need your help though."
He led her over to the back corner where there was a small panel. "Can you shine the light in here? Yeah that's the spot now hold it."
He tinkered in the hole for a few seconds and then suddenly with a flicker the emergency lights came on. There weren't very bright, as all but they wouldn't need the flashlight any more. "Great Harper you did it!" But he stayed trying to fix something. "Harper they're on." Maybe he hadn't heard her.
"I know I was just looking for the air vents, it's awfully warm in here."
She pulled him out by the back of his E.V.A. suit. "Harper it's freezing I can nearly see my breath."
"He shrugged maybe my suits broken."
Beka reached forward placing her hand on his cheek. "You're burning up!" She took a good look at him. His skin was pale but it felt sticky. "Let's head back now. That's enough exploring for one day, okay?"
Harper nodded with out argument, which worried her even more. It took about ten minutes of walking but as they entered the main landing bay they both let out a gasp.
In the dark they hadn't noticed. It was an absolutely huge port. Bigger then either of them had ever seen before and it was full. There were ships everywhere. It looked like some type of war had happened or some sort of other tragic event.
"Wow," grunted Harper eventually.
But just like the computers they all looked like antiques as they were all in various levels of decay.
"OH gawd is that Mila?" Harper referred to one of the ships that Dylan had freed with the help from Ryan and Achilles a couple of months back. He made to run towards the ship.
"Whoa, sport." Beka grabbed his arm "She's not going anywhere lets look after you first."
"But Beka."
"No. I mean it Harper." And she dragged him onto the Maru despite his protests.
Once on board Beka sealed the hatch and looked back out into the abandoned port. Nothing moved. She shivered slightly from the cold and from the feeling that she just couldn't shake that some one was watching them. She rubbed her temple once and turned to help Harper out of his E.V.A. suit.
After forcing some soup into him she injected Harper with some antibiotics and a mild sedative. "Sleep now." She ordered and she watched him to make sure he headed directly to the crew quarters. Once she was sure he was sleeping she activated internal and external sensors and crawled into her own bunk. She was nearly as tired as he was. She was asleep almost instantly and she never noticed the airlocks depressurize or that the hatch slid slowly open. The sensors detected nothing and she slept deeply.
TBC
Beka flashed the light round bouncing it off the walls. "It's weird don't you think I wonder what happened here. Your scanner gave us the okay against any bio hazards." When Harper didn't respond she turned to face him her light following her eyes. The small engineer leaned against the wall with his eyes closed. "Harper?" she asked worriedly and lightly tapped him on the shoulder. He jumped slightly with surprise.
"What boss? Sorry I wasn't paying attention."
"That's it were heading back!"
"Really Beka I'm good."
"The more you say you're good the more I know you're sick. What's that saying. you protest to much."
"I really was thinking! I think I know where the breaker box is." He reached forward at took the light from her hand and started walking. "We were on that station once remember.Teflon drift."
"Telefornia."
"What ever. Anyway I was helping those station engineer guys during the power outage."
Beka nodded remembering.
"The one guy said they always but the main power core in the same spot in like 90% of the drifts. Well I don't know drifts as well as I know ships but I'm pretty sure." Harper had reached a door and pulled it open. "Voila.eww!" A think mud green paste slid from the room onto the foot of his E.V.A. suit
Beka let out a low chuckle.
"Hey, I'm getting slimed here!"
Beka took the flashlight back and shined it into the small room. There was computer equipment everywhere. Harper let out a low whistle of appreciation. The floor was covered two inches think with the green slime. "It looked like it was once pretty high-tech. but it must be old look how decayed everything is."
Harper gingerly stepped into the room being careful not to slip. "I wonder what this stuff is. other then gross I mean." Harper stepped up to one of the counsels and pressed so much buttons with out response. "Beka, this stuff isn't old as all in fact it's all cutting edge. I saw a news reel not long ago about it. It's at the most a couple of months old."
"Harper it's impossible! Look!" She reached over to one of the computer stations and a piece of it crumbled in her hand. "Unless, maybe the green slime is corrosive."
Harper looked down at the slime on his boots concerned. "Well it's not fast acting any way. I don't know boss." He shrugged. "I don't get it."
"Can you get the lights on at least?"
"Maybe emergency back up, but we'll need to be lucky." He stepped deeper into the room disappearing behind a wall of electronics.
Beka stood in the slime-covered room glancing around nervously. Other then the one skull there was no sigh of any people. Harper was right it was creepy. "Harper?" her voice echoed slightly and there was no reply. "Now where did he go?" she whispered to her self. There was a slight sucking noise to her right like some one had taken a step. She flashed the light in that direction but there was no one there.
Here heart started to beat a little faster. "Harper?"
"Yeah boss?" Asked Harper. Beka jumped with surprise, as he appeared at her side. She slapped him on the shoulder.
"Ow. What was that for?"
"Did you find the controls?"
"Yeah I think." He rubbed his shoulder and looked at her warily. "I need your help though."
He led her over to the back corner where there was a small panel. "Can you shine the light in here? Yeah that's the spot now hold it."
He tinkered in the hole for a few seconds and then suddenly with a flicker the emergency lights came on. There weren't very bright, as all but they wouldn't need the flashlight any more. "Great Harper you did it!" But he stayed trying to fix something. "Harper they're on." Maybe he hadn't heard her.
"I know I was just looking for the air vents, it's awfully warm in here."
She pulled him out by the back of his E.V.A. suit. "Harper it's freezing I can nearly see my breath."
"He shrugged maybe my suits broken."
Beka reached forward placing her hand on his cheek. "You're burning up!" She took a good look at him. His skin was pale but it felt sticky. "Let's head back now. That's enough exploring for one day, okay?"
Harper nodded with out argument, which worried her even more. It took about ten minutes of walking but as they entered the main landing bay they both let out a gasp.
In the dark they hadn't noticed. It was an absolutely huge port. Bigger then either of them had ever seen before and it was full. There were ships everywhere. It looked like some type of war had happened or some sort of other tragic event.
"Wow," grunted Harper eventually.
But just like the computers they all looked like antiques as they were all in various levels of decay.
"OH gawd is that Mila?" Harper referred to one of the ships that Dylan had freed with the help from Ryan and Achilles a couple of months back. He made to run towards the ship.
"Whoa, sport." Beka grabbed his arm "She's not going anywhere lets look after you first."
"But Beka."
"No. I mean it Harper." And she dragged him onto the Maru despite his protests.
Once on board Beka sealed the hatch and looked back out into the abandoned port. Nothing moved. She shivered slightly from the cold and from the feeling that she just couldn't shake that some one was watching them. She rubbed her temple once and turned to help Harper out of his E.V.A. suit.
After forcing some soup into him she injected Harper with some antibiotics and a mild sedative. "Sleep now." She ordered and she watched him to make sure he headed directly to the crew quarters. Once she was sure he was sleeping she activated internal and external sensors and crawled into her own bunk. She was nearly as tired as he was. She was asleep almost instantly and she never noticed the airlocks depressurize or that the hatch slid slowly open. The sensors detected nothing and she slept deeply.
TBC