// ok peeps, from now on i'm gonna be using info from www.nols.edu/Publications/First Aid/Altitudeillness.html *whoa that's long...* ok just thought i should give them some credit... i'm writing up a frenzy now cuz i have no skool! *thanks the snow outside the window*... now... on with the story!//
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Dylan was starting to worry. They had been waiting on the ship to acclimate themselves for another half a week, and the altitude sickness was getting closer, he knew. He could feel it, like a looming presence. Even he himself was feeling a little short of breath when he was doing anything strenuous.
Just then, Beka broke out in a dry cough. Dylan looked up. "I'm fine, it's just something in my throat," she said, seeing Dylan's alarm. He nodded. He hoped that was all it was...
****************
"Hey you guys, I'm gonna head down to the boiler room again," Harper said to everyone on the command deck as he turned to leave.
"I'm coming with you," Trance picked up a flashlight and started after him.
He stopped, but nodded and waited for Trance to catch up to him. "So," he said after they had made it down three corridors and were turning into a fourth, "come to see the master at work, eh?" He wasn't going to bring up the "almost-kiss" right away. That would be a nice ice-breaker for sure.
Trance did her usual eye roll. "Just thought I'd keep you company."
"A'ight then. Ooo careful-" he caught her just as she tripped over a piece of fallen debris.
"Thanks," she said quietly.
After what seemed like forever, they finally reached the right room. They crawled through the gap in the doorway and set their flashlights down. Harper immediately set out to work; he was determined to get the ship up and running again. Trance just stood there for a moment. Harper looked up. "What is it?" he asked as he started to tap away at the wires.
"Nothing. It just feels so different without that drone that it usually makes down here."
Harper smiled to himself before agreeing, "Yeah, I thought that too when me and Dylan first found our way down here."
"It's so dark..." Trance hugged her arms to her chest.
"Naw, you get used to it. Hey..." he added, "it's ok. It's still the same ol' room. Just a little darker."
"Yeah," Trance sighed and sat down cross-legged near where Harper was working. After a brief pause, Harper got back to work.
Trance sat thinking. She wondered if he would bring up that incident... or would she have to? She was almost positive that Harper had wanted to kiss her. She felt a little embarrassed. After all, she had been the one to make the first move. Without a doubt, he had noticed that too. And if they hadn't crashed right then--- Trance shook her head. This was silly. Why was she putting so much thought into it? But she was so confused. It was like she had wanted to kiss him--- really. Did she have feelings for him then? What a question. Her best friend in the whole wide world, and she might have romantic feelings for him? That could ruin everything... or make it. Trance clenched her small hands into fists. She would just have to tell him how she felt. What if they died here? She couldn't stand the thought of dying without Harper knowing how she really felt- or at least, how she THOUGHT she really felt. 'Alright,' she told herself determinedly, 'I'll tell him when the right moment comes.' And with that, she sat back and closed her eyes, listening to the faint whistling of Harper, the tapping of his tools, her own slow breathing, and thought about her and Harper... together. She smiled inwardly.
**************
Tyr sighed. "I don't think that I have ever been so bored in my entire life."
"Join the club," Beka tilted her head back against the wall. "I mean, how much more waiting do we have to do?"
"Enough to make sure that we won't get sick," Dylan said firmly.
"Augg!" Beka pulled at her hair. Dylan had been saying that over and over again- even if it was true. "And why do we have to be SO damn careful about this anyway?!?!"
"Because we don't want to DIE!" Dylan snapped and left the room. Beka was always complaining.
Tyr cleared his throat.
Beka sighed and sat up. "Hey Tyr, you want something to eat?"
"No thank you. I'm not that hungry."
"You haven't eaten anything in two days!"
"Well," Tyr said irritably, "it's hard to eat anything when you don't have the appetite for it!"
They sat, not uttering a single word to one another.
**************
Dylan sat down, exasperated. "What is it?" Rommie asked. She seemed to be the only one in generally high spirits. But then again, she was an android.
Dylan covered his hands over his face and slid them down. "I don't know. I'm just not in a good mood. Everyone seems to be bickering constantly. They're getting impatient."
"They'll get over it Dylan." She looked at Dylan intensely, then added, "They just need some time to cool off."
"I don't know... Am I doing the right thing Rommie? Making everyone stay inside like this? Maybe if I let them explore a little bit. Just a little bit..."
"Dylan, you're not thinking clearly. You can't let any air out of this ship. You know that. You have to acclimate, remember?"
Dylan sat in silence. "No, you're right, I need to stick with the plan." He rested his head in his hands.
"That's right," Rommie nodded. "So, you want to take a little stroll down to the canteen with me?"
"Sure."
With that, they headed off down the hall.
****************
Harper arched his back. He was getting sore from lying in the same position for hours. He looked up at the intricate network of wires above him. He reached up to clip one wire when suddenly--- he rubbed his eyes. He had just slid into double vision and had seen two of that one red wire, two pairs of his hands reaching up with two of the same tool. 'I need to get more sleep,' he thought to himself. He hadn't been sleeping well for days now. 'Trance must be asleep by now...' He wiped his hands on his shirt and kept tapping away.
"Harper?"
He jumped and lay flat under the counter. "Yeah?" came his muffled response.
"Can we talk?" Harper stopped tapping at the wires. Everything was quiet.
"Sure," Harper slid out and sat up to face Trance. 'Oh God, here it comes,' he thought in sudden fear. 'What am I gonna say? Just be smooth... apologize to her about what you did and save your friggen friendship!'
"Well," Trance cast her eyes down into her lap, "we need to talk about... that thing." Harper said nothing. Trance continued, "I- well I think that-"
"Stop right there," Harper suddenly cut in. "I'm really sorry about that. I didn't mean to do it. It was just- I don't know- I was just in the moment. It didn't mean anything. I'm so sorry that I jeopardized our friendship like that. We're just friends, right?" 'There,' he thought with slight satisfaction, 'now she doesn't hate me and we're still friends.' But then he saw her face twist. She stared straight into his eyes for only a few seconds.
Trance's vision blurred. She gasped to hold back the tears that had suddenly sprung to her eyes. 'No... he doesn't care about me...' She stood up abruptly and ran out of the room, not able to bear being there with him. She felt humiliated, defeated.
"Trance!" Harper yelled after her in surprise. He was so confused. What had just happened? He dashed after her. "Trance! Come on!" He struggled through the narrow doorway. "You don't even have a flashlight! Trance!" He reached out and managed to grasp her arm as it swung back.
"Get off me!" she screeched, tearing at his hand.
"Trance! What the hell is wrong? Dammit!" He pulled his hand back and inspected the red scratch marks on it. Then he lunged forward and toppled over on top of her. "Tell me what's wrong!"
"Get away from me!" Trance yelled at the top of her lungs. The sound echoed off the walls and down the hall in both directions. 'Oh God, he's on top of me...' She couldn't stand it. She struggled under him, frantic. She felt sick.
"Jesus, Trance! Even those aliens could hear you now! What's the matter?!?!" He fought to keep her pinned down under him. Unfortunately, the difference in gravity on this planet didn't work to Harper's advantage and Trance was able to pull herself out from under him, something that she normally wouldn't be able to do. She tore down the hallway, crying, tears wetting her face. She could hear him running after her.
"You don't care!" she yelled over her shoulder as she rounded a corner.
"Trance! Of course I care! Hey! You're going in the wrong direction! You'll get lost! Trance!" Harper panted.
Trance just shook her head and continued to run. She felt as if someone were sitting on top of her; she was barely able to breathe. She gasped at the thin air. She wanted to stop running, but if she did than Harper would catch up to her. He didn't care. He was apologizing for that kiss that had almost happened. But what if she didn't feel the way he did? What if she wanted him care about her like that. She did. But he didn't. 'If I died now, he wouldn't care,' she stifled a sob. She had worked herself up, gotten her hopes up that he wanted to be with her forever. She hadn't been expecting the reaction that he'd given her. And now... She turned into another corridor. Harper's pursuing footsteps grew fainter. She couldn't see where she was going. It was so dark. She stopped running and stood hunched over, wailing. "No," Trance whispered to herself as she choked on her tears. The tears flowed over like a dam caving in. 'He doesn't care about me like that... He regrets it... It didn't mean a thing to him...' Then she gasped out loud. 'Oh my god...' She looked around and felt herself tilting sideways; everything sifted into two, like two slides of the same thing were being pulled slowly apart. She grabbed at the wall. Her double vision became blurry. She could barely breathe. All she could hear was her own rasping and the rapid pulse in her head. Just as she hit the floor and fainted, she realized, "Oh my God... I'm in love with Harper."
****************
Dylan was starting to worry. They had been waiting on the ship to acclimate themselves for another half a week, and the altitude sickness was getting closer, he knew. He could feel it, like a looming presence. Even he himself was feeling a little short of breath when he was doing anything strenuous.
Just then, Beka broke out in a dry cough. Dylan looked up. "I'm fine, it's just something in my throat," she said, seeing Dylan's alarm. He nodded. He hoped that was all it was...
****************
"Hey you guys, I'm gonna head down to the boiler room again," Harper said to everyone on the command deck as he turned to leave.
"I'm coming with you," Trance picked up a flashlight and started after him.
He stopped, but nodded and waited for Trance to catch up to him. "So," he said after they had made it down three corridors and were turning into a fourth, "come to see the master at work, eh?" He wasn't going to bring up the "almost-kiss" right away. That would be a nice ice-breaker for sure.
Trance did her usual eye roll. "Just thought I'd keep you company."
"A'ight then. Ooo careful-" he caught her just as she tripped over a piece of fallen debris.
"Thanks," she said quietly.
After what seemed like forever, they finally reached the right room. They crawled through the gap in the doorway and set their flashlights down. Harper immediately set out to work; he was determined to get the ship up and running again. Trance just stood there for a moment. Harper looked up. "What is it?" he asked as he started to tap away at the wires.
"Nothing. It just feels so different without that drone that it usually makes down here."
Harper smiled to himself before agreeing, "Yeah, I thought that too when me and Dylan first found our way down here."
"It's so dark..." Trance hugged her arms to her chest.
"Naw, you get used to it. Hey..." he added, "it's ok. It's still the same ol' room. Just a little darker."
"Yeah," Trance sighed and sat down cross-legged near where Harper was working. After a brief pause, Harper got back to work.
Trance sat thinking. She wondered if he would bring up that incident... or would she have to? She was almost positive that Harper had wanted to kiss her. She felt a little embarrassed. After all, she had been the one to make the first move. Without a doubt, he had noticed that too. And if they hadn't crashed right then--- Trance shook her head. This was silly. Why was she putting so much thought into it? But she was so confused. It was like she had wanted to kiss him--- really. Did she have feelings for him then? What a question. Her best friend in the whole wide world, and she might have romantic feelings for him? That could ruin everything... or make it. Trance clenched her small hands into fists. She would just have to tell him how she felt. What if they died here? She couldn't stand the thought of dying without Harper knowing how she really felt- or at least, how she THOUGHT she really felt. 'Alright,' she told herself determinedly, 'I'll tell him when the right moment comes.' And with that, she sat back and closed her eyes, listening to the faint whistling of Harper, the tapping of his tools, her own slow breathing, and thought about her and Harper... together. She smiled inwardly.
**************
Tyr sighed. "I don't think that I have ever been so bored in my entire life."
"Join the club," Beka tilted her head back against the wall. "I mean, how much more waiting do we have to do?"
"Enough to make sure that we won't get sick," Dylan said firmly.
"Augg!" Beka pulled at her hair. Dylan had been saying that over and over again- even if it was true. "And why do we have to be SO damn careful about this anyway?!?!"
"Because we don't want to DIE!" Dylan snapped and left the room. Beka was always complaining.
Tyr cleared his throat.
Beka sighed and sat up. "Hey Tyr, you want something to eat?"
"No thank you. I'm not that hungry."
"You haven't eaten anything in two days!"
"Well," Tyr said irritably, "it's hard to eat anything when you don't have the appetite for it!"
They sat, not uttering a single word to one another.
**************
Dylan sat down, exasperated. "What is it?" Rommie asked. She seemed to be the only one in generally high spirits. But then again, she was an android.
Dylan covered his hands over his face and slid them down. "I don't know. I'm just not in a good mood. Everyone seems to be bickering constantly. They're getting impatient."
"They'll get over it Dylan." She looked at Dylan intensely, then added, "They just need some time to cool off."
"I don't know... Am I doing the right thing Rommie? Making everyone stay inside like this? Maybe if I let them explore a little bit. Just a little bit..."
"Dylan, you're not thinking clearly. You can't let any air out of this ship. You know that. You have to acclimate, remember?"
Dylan sat in silence. "No, you're right, I need to stick with the plan." He rested his head in his hands.
"That's right," Rommie nodded. "So, you want to take a little stroll down to the canteen with me?"
"Sure."
With that, they headed off down the hall.
****************
Harper arched his back. He was getting sore from lying in the same position for hours. He looked up at the intricate network of wires above him. He reached up to clip one wire when suddenly--- he rubbed his eyes. He had just slid into double vision and had seen two of that one red wire, two pairs of his hands reaching up with two of the same tool. 'I need to get more sleep,' he thought to himself. He hadn't been sleeping well for days now. 'Trance must be asleep by now...' He wiped his hands on his shirt and kept tapping away.
"Harper?"
He jumped and lay flat under the counter. "Yeah?" came his muffled response.
"Can we talk?" Harper stopped tapping at the wires. Everything was quiet.
"Sure," Harper slid out and sat up to face Trance. 'Oh God, here it comes,' he thought in sudden fear. 'What am I gonna say? Just be smooth... apologize to her about what you did and save your friggen friendship!'
"Well," Trance cast her eyes down into her lap, "we need to talk about... that thing." Harper said nothing. Trance continued, "I- well I think that-"
"Stop right there," Harper suddenly cut in. "I'm really sorry about that. I didn't mean to do it. It was just- I don't know- I was just in the moment. It didn't mean anything. I'm so sorry that I jeopardized our friendship like that. We're just friends, right?" 'There,' he thought with slight satisfaction, 'now she doesn't hate me and we're still friends.' But then he saw her face twist. She stared straight into his eyes for only a few seconds.
Trance's vision blurred. She gasped to hold back the tears that had suddenly sprung to her eyes. 'No... he doesn't care about me...' She stood up abruptly and ran out of the room, not able to bear being there with him. She felt humiliated, defeated.
"Trance!" Harper yelled after her in surprise. He was so confused. What had just happened? He dashed after her. "Trance! Come on!" He struggled through the narrow doorway. "You don't even have a flashlight! Trance!" He reached out and managed to grasp her arm as it swung back.
"Get off me!" she screeched, tearing at his hand.
"Trance! What the hell is wrong? Dammit!" He pulled his hand back and inspected the red scratch marks on it. Then he lunged forward and toppled over on top of her. "Tell me what's wrong!"
"Get away from me!" Trance yelled at the top of her lungs. The sound echoed off the walls and down the hall in both directions. 'Oh God, he's on top of me...' She couldn't stand it. She struggled under him, frantic. She felt sick.
"Jesus, Trance! Even those aliens could hear you now! What's the matter?!?!" He fought to keep her pinned down under him. Unfortunately, the difference in gravity on this planet didn't work to Harper's advantage and Trance was able to pull herself out from under him, something that she normally wouldn't be able to do. She tore down the hallway, crying, tears wetting her face. She could hear him running after her.
"You don't care!" she yelled over her shoulder as she rounded a corner.
"Trance! Of course I care! Hey! You're going in the wrong direction! You'll get lost! Trance!" Harper panted.
Trance just shook her head and continued to run. She felt as if someone were sitting on top of her; she was barely able to breathe. She gasped at the thin air. She wanted to stop running, but if she did than Harper would catch up to her. He didn't care. He was apologizing for that kiss that had almost happened. But what if she didn't feel the way he did? What if she wanted him care about her like that. She did. But he didn't. 'If I died now, he wouldn't care,' she stifled a sob. She had worked herself up, gotten her hopes up that he wanted to be with her forever. She hadn't been expecting the reaction that he'd given her. And now... She turned into another corridor. Harper's pursuing footsteps grew fainter. She couldn't see where she was going. It was so dark. She stopped running and stood hunched over, wailing. "No," Trance whispered to herself as she choked on her tears. The tears flowed over like a dam caving in. 'He doesn't care about me like that... He regrets it... It didn't mean a thing to him...' Then she gasped out loud. 'Oh my god...' She looked around and felt herself tilting sideways; everything sifted into two, like two slides of the same thing were being pulled slowly apart. She grabbed at the wall. Her double vision became blurry. She could barely breathe. All she could hear was her own rasping and the rapid pulse in her head. Just as she hit the floor and fainted, she realized, "Oh my God... I'm in love with Harper."