Back at the command deck, Dylan and Harper had woken up. Harper sat stooped over Rommie, trying to figure out what main fuse had blown. Dylan stood nearby surveying all of Andromeda's damage and pulling pieces of rubble over to the side of the room. Everything was quiet apart from the dragging of metal parts across the floor.
"Ouch!" Harper pulled his finger to his mouth and sucked on it. Rommie looked up. "Just a little shock," he smirked. "I've almost got you working again. You'll be hoppin' an' skippin' in no time!" He glanced over at a still-unconscious Trance for a moment. He and Dylan had moved her over to a cleared area, away from the rubble. She had an angelic look about her when she slept, Harper thought to himself. So peaceful...
"Ack! Watch it!" Rommie squinted her eyes as her arm crackled and sparked.
"Oh. Sorry, babe." He focused his attention back to fixing Rommie. She smiled to herself, knowing who he'd been looking at. She wondered what all went on between them behind closed doors. Nothing romantic she knew, but there was always that light that lit up Trance's face when she talked about him, or how Harper always seemed so at home when Trance was in his company...
After a few more minutes, Harper sat back on his heels. "All better. Here, sit up! Wiggle your fingers!" Rommie did so. She examined her fingers and hands, twisting her wrists around. "Am I a friggen genius or what?" Harper said, pleased with his work.
Just then, Beka and Tyr came stumbling into the room. "Beka! Tyr!" Dylan sprinted over. "Are you two okay?"
"You're- you're both," Beka spotted Harper standing up, "awake! How are you guys feeling?"
"Peachy," Harper ran his fingers through his hair.
"We're fine, but never mind that now. What happened?" Dylan asked, full of concern and curiosity.
Tyr heaved a great sigh of what appeared to be disappointment, and flopped his gun down with a clatter onto the floor. "No real action. They all ran away once the first one was down."
"First what?" Harper was intrigued.
"Aliens. They're amazing!" Beka waved her free hand.
"Not to mention huge and stupid," Tyr added with distaste.
"Are they dangerous?" Dylan motioned for the two to sit down with him next to Rommie.
"Well, they're definitely strong," Rommie said looking up at the ceiling.
Beka and Tyr both turned. "You're moving again!" Beka said with relief. She glanced at Trance lying peacefully on the floor a meter away just behind Rommie. "How is she?"
"I think she's just unconscious," Harper was leaning over her. "I hope," he whispered to himself.
**************
"So what do you propose we do? Sit and wait for their next ambush?" Beka complained. They were all discussing battle strategies. Trance was still unconscious, and Rommie had pulled Harper away- with some difficulty- to join in the meeting. She now stood watch over the fragile golden creature as she tried to get back on line.
The discussion continued just down the hall in another room from which the door had been pried open. Many other rooms and entire wings of the ship were inaccessible because their doors were jammed shut from the impact of the landing. The arguments continued:
"Do you have a better plan?" Tyr was asking. "We can't risk loosing more oxygen from the ship by opening the doors to the outside. We don't have much air left as it is! And unless Rommie can get back online, we may suffocate."
"There must be some air out there," Dylan said with a pensive look on his face. "Otherwise, those aliens wouldn't be alive. I used to do a little bit of mountain climbing when I was on Earth- before," he added seeing Harper's face twist slightly. "Sometimes it felt like there was hardly any air, but it was just the high altitude. We had to acclimate ourselves so that we wouldn't get altitude sickness. If we stay in here and let the air slowly decrease, then we're more likely to survive this."
"Well what happens when you get this 'mountain sickness' as you call it?" Tyr sounded somewhat amused.
Dylan thought for a moment. Then he looked back up at his crew. "It's no laughing matter, Tyr. You get bad headaches and you can't sleep well or think very clearly at times. You have trouble breathing even when you're sitting still, and you tend to throw up a lot more than you take in."
"Sounds fun," Harper raised one eyebrow. Beka shifted slightly. Tyr appeared to be unaffected by the unpleasant news.
"Nothing I haven't handled before," he said sounding bored.
"I highly doubt that," Beka retorted.
"Either way, we want to avoid it at all costs. We can't risk it," said Dylan firmly. No one objected. 'It really is hell,' he thought to himself, shuddering at the memory.
"So we just stay here and wait it out?" asked Beka.
Dylan nodded.
"And what if those alien thingys come back for another round?" Harper asked edgily.
"We'll deal with that when it comes," Dylan stated plainly. Beka and Harper glanced at each other uneasily. To Harper, the thought of waiting on the ship was like volunteering to be a sitting duck. A huge ship in the middle of a flat desert. Just about as obvious as they could get.
"She's awake!" Rommie's voice echoed down the hall. Everyone sprung to their feet and ran to the command deck.
****************
Harper was the first to reach the room. He sprinted over to where Rommie was helping Trance to sit up. "Trance!" he called out in excitement. She winced and grabbed her throbbing head.
"Shh!" Rommie scolded softly. "She just woke up, remember?"
"Oh, sorry," Harper said sheepishly, kneeling down beside his golden friend. Rommie moved back slightly and let Harper take her place. Trance let Harper gently lean her against the wall. "Hey," he whispered. "How ya feelin'?" Trance looked up through glassy eyes into her friend's.
"Aughh..." was all she could manage to get out. It felt as if she had forgotten how to speak while she was asleep.
"It's ok, you don't have to answer," Harper lightly took her hand. She felt the heat from his hand travel into her cold, stiff one. "Whoa! You're friggen freezing! Hey Rommie! We got any blankets or something?" He rubbed Trance's hand between his two to tried and warm her up. There was an awkward silence. Trance stiffened slightly.
"Trance!" Beka rushed over. "Hey there!" she said more softly, noticing Trance's hand to her head- the one that Harper wasn't holding she also noted. Trance nodded meekly. Dylan and Tyr came bounding in.
"You're awake!"
"We thought you'd never get up!"
"You won't believe what happened!"
"There's so much to tell you!"
They all started jabbering at once like a serge of water over a stretch of sand.
"It's good to have you back," Harper whispered in her ear. She smiled and let her muscles relax slightly, glad to have his warm hands holding to hers.
"Ouch!" Harper pulled his finger to his mouth and sucked on it. Rommie looked up. "Just a little shock," he smirked. "I've almost got you working again. You'll be hoppin' an' skippin' in no time!" He glanced over at a still-unconscious Trance for a moment. He and Dylan had moved her over to a cleared area, away from the rubble. She had an angelic look about her when she slept, Harper thought to himself. So peaceful...
"Ack! Watch it!" Rommie squinted her eyes as her arm crackled and sparked.
"Oh. Sorry, babe." He focused his attention back to fixing Rommie. She smiled to herself, knowing who he'd been looking at. She wondered what all went on between them behind closed doors. Nothing romantic she knew, but there was always that light that lit up Trance's face when she talked about him, or how Harper always seemed so at home when Trance was in his company...
After a few more minutes, Harper sat back on his heels. "All better. Here, sit up! Wiggle your fingers!" Rommie did so. She examined her fingers and hands, twisting her wrists around. "Am I a friggen genius or what?" Harper said, pleased with his work.
Just then, Beka and Tyr came stumbling into the room. "Beka! Tyr!" Dylan sprinted over. "Are you two okay?"
"You're- you're both," Beka spotted Harper standing up, "awake! How are you guys feeling?"
"Peachy," Harper ran his fingers through his hair.
"We're fine, but never mind that now. What happened?" Dylan asked, full of concern and curiosity.
Tyr heaved a great sigh of what appeared to be disappointment, and flopped his gun down with a clatter onto the floor. "No real action. They all ran away once the first one was down."
"First what?" Harper was intrigued.
"Aliens. They're amazing!" Beka waved her free hand.
"Not to mention huge and stupid," Tyr added with distaste.
"Are they dangerous?" Dylan motioned for the two to sit down with him next to Rommie.
"Well, they're definitely strong," Rommie said looking up at the ceiling.
Beka and Tyr both turned. "You're moving again!" Beka said with relief. She glanced at Trance lying peacefully on the floor a meter away just behind Rommie. "How is she?"
"I think she's just unconscious," Harper was leaning over her. "I hope," he whispered to himself.
**************
"So what do you propose we do? Sit and wait for their next ambush?" Beka complained. They were all discussing battle strategies. Trance was still unconscious, and Rommie had pulled Harper away- with some difficulty- to join in the meeting. She now stood watch over the fragile golden creature as she tried to get back on line.
The discussion continued just down the hall in another room from which the door had been pried open. Many other rooms and entire wings of the ship were inaccessible because their doors were jammed shut from the impact of the landing. The arguments continued:
"Do you have a better plan?" Tyr was asking. "We can't risk loosing more oxygen from the ship by opening the doors to the outside. We don't have much air left as it is! And unless Rommie can get back online, we may suffocate."
"There must be some air out there," Dylan said with a pensive look on his face. "Otherwise, those aliens wouldn't be alive. I used to do a little bit of mountain climbing when I was on Earth- before," he added seeing Harper's face twist slightly. "Sometimes it felt like there was hardly any air, but it was just the high altitude. We had to acclimate ourselves so that we wouldn't get altitude sickness. If we stay in here and let the air slowly decrease, then we're more likely to survive this."
"Well what happens when you get this 'mountain sickness' as you call it?" Tyr sounded somewhat amused.
Dylan thought for a moment. Then he looked back up at his crew. "It's no laughing matter, Tyr. You get bad headaches and you can't sleep well or think very clearly at times. You have trouble breathing even when you're sitting still, and you tend to throw up a lot more than you take in."
"Sounds fun," Harper raised one eyebrow. Beka shifted slightly. Tyr appeared to be unaffected by the unpleasant news.
"Nothing I haven't handled before," he said sounding bored.
"I highly doubt that," Beka retorted.
"Either way, we want to avoid it at all costs. We can't risk it," said Dylan firmly. No one objected. 'It really is hell,' he thought to himself, shuddering at the memory.
"So we just stay here and wait it out?" asked Beka.
Dylan nodded.
"And what if those alien thingys come back for another round?" Harper asked edgily.
"We'll deal with that when it comes," Dylan stated plainly. Beka and Harper glanced at each other uneasily. To Harper, the thought of waiting on the ship was like volunteering to be a sitting duck. A huge ship in the middle of a flat desert. Just about as obvious as they could get.
"She's awake!" Rommie's voice echoed down the hall. Everyone sprung to their feet and ran to the command deck.
****************
Harper was the first to reach the room. He sprinted over to where Rommie was helping Trance to sit up. "Trance!" he called out in excitement. She winced and grabbed her throbbing head.
"Shh!" Rommie scolded softly. "She just woke up, remember?"
"Oh, sorry," Harper said sheepishly, kneeling down beside his golden friend. Rommie moved back slightly and let Harper take her place. Trance let Harper gently lean her against the wall. "Hey," he whispered. "How ya feelin'?" Trance looked up through glassy eyes into her friend's.
"Aughh..." was all she could manage to get out. It felt as if she had forgotten how to speak while she was asleep.
"It's ok, you don't have to answer," Harper lightly took her hand. She felt the heat from his hand travel into her cold, stiff one. "Whoa! You're friggen freezing! Hey Rommie! We got any blankets or something?" He rubbed Trance's hand between his two to tried and warm her up. There was an awkward silence. Trance stiffened slightly.
"Trance!" Beka rushed over. "Hey there!" she said more softly, noticing Trance's hand to her head- the one that Harper wasn't holding she also noted. Trance nodded meekly. Dylan and Tyr came bounding in.
"You're awake!"
"We thought you'd never get up!"
"You won't believe what happened!"
"There's so much to tell you!"
They all started jabbering at once like a serge of water over a stretch of sand.
"It's good to have you back," Harper whispered in her ear. She smiled and let her muscles relax slightly, glad to have his warm hands holding to hers.