Ziggy and I never did get to finish taking apart the ship we'd started on. Something came up. A big something. A getting swallowed by the largest Gnosis known to man something. It all happened so fast that neither Tony nor myself had any time to react. We couldn't back out. We couldn't shoot forward. We couldn't even fire our thrusters. We just were. Something must have happened to knock me out cold. Maybe we hit something that sent me flying from my seat. Whatever happened, I was sitting at my station one second and sprawled on the floor next to chaos' station. Except that chaos wasn't at his station. He was just gone. I tried to push myself up off the floor, but a blinding pain shot through my skull. I grabbed for my forehead in futile attempts to soothe the searing pain. I gritted my teeth and felt tears start to wet the corners of my eyes.
"Hammer!" Matthews' gruff voice came from behind me, "You all right, kid?" he asked. That was concern in his voice. For a moment, I felt guilty of previously thinking that he didn't care about me. I forced myself into a sitting position on the cold, hard floor of the Elsa's cockpit. I adjusted my glasses, which had gone askew in my unplanned flight across the room. My eyes focused on the bulky form of the Captain, standing directly over me, a large welt growing on the left side of his face. I rubbed my forehead, reminded of the increasing pain in my own head.
"Man," I whispered in awe, looking around the cockpit at the debris that had been scattered in the collision, "What just happened?"
"Hear, hear!" I heard Tony call from his seat further up. I scanned his person for any injuries, and saw that there was a series of bruises on his face and shoulders. Matthews' sighed, pulling a cigarette from his pocket and lighting it with one deft stroke.
"I have no idea," he told us honestly, "Last thing I knew, you went flyin' from your seat and knocked your head on chaos' chair there. Consider yourself a lucky kid," he took a moment to draw at his cigarette, and as he exhaled, he continued, "If you hadn't been wearin' that stupid headgear of yours, your head woulda been split clean open." Tony shuddered visibly.
"Please, Captain! I just ate!"
"We all know damn well you didn't, ya moron!" Matthews grunted, "You were up here all- ah, hell with it..." When the Captain mentioned chaos, my thoughts went again to his sudden disappearance. I tried to stand, but was overwhelmed by dizziness and was forced to sit back in the same position on the floor. I looked pathetically up to the Captain and asked my question.
"Er, Captain... Where IS chaos?"
He looked perplexed for a moment, then puffed lightly on his cigarette, seeming like he didn't have a care in the world. I shot him an unpleasant look, displeased with his calmness. Matthews either disregarded the look I shot him or he didn't notice.
"He probably snuck off to the cabins to see how the others are doing. Speaking of which..." Matthews flipped on the intercom switch and spoke loud enough so that anyone on the ship could have heard his voice, "Hey, Miss Vector! Come on up to the bridge and bring chaos with you, while you're at it!" We waited for minutes in agonized silence. Matthews hit the com switch again, speaking louder, "Miss Vector?" A fear began to grow in my heart as I waited for the bridge doors to open and for Shion to waltz in, asking why the Captain was shouting so loudly. But she didn't come. Tony had turned around by now, his green eyes darting from the Captain, standing silently, to the doors, which had yet to open. After frightening moments of unbroken silence, we were rewarded with the sound of shoes clicking on the metal floor outside the doors. But who entered onto the bridge, we did not expect.
Allen Ridgely, his eyes looking like they would yield tears at any second, stood stiff and tall, obviously to keep himself from breaking out weeping. My heart leapt with joy that someone other that Tony, the Captain and myself was breathing on this ship. But my heart sunk back to the depths when Allen related his statement.
"The Chief's gone," his voice trying to mask his sadness, "They're all gone... I-" his voice broke, and he stopped to wipe a tear that made its way down his face, "I looked for all of them- the Chief, KOS-MOS, chaos, Ziggy and MOMO- but no one was... they all were..."
"Take a deep breath, kid," Matthews told him quietly, his voice holding a grave tone I had never heard him use before. I blinked rapidly in succession. Gone? Gone where? Where could five people have snuck off to in this little ship? Why? I furrowed my brows in contemplation, only to have pain shoot through my head again. As I cradled my head in my hands, I heard Tony speak from his position at the helm.
"Maybe," his now timid voice came, "they're out there somewhere..." As worried as I was about the others, contempt and ridicule rose in my voice.
"Isn't 'out there' outer space? How could they possibly..." I glanced up at Allen, his face contorted with horror as he stared out the front window. I dared to look behind me, to where Allen, Tony and the Captain were all staring. At first I was inarticulate. It was impossible. I heard Allen at my station, pressing buttons in a succession I was unfamiliar with. He made a sound that sounded as if what he found confirmed what he sought, but he didn't like the outcome.
"We're inside..." Allen took another deep breath, "Inside a Gnosis."
"Sweet mother of God..." Matthews whispered. I felt my heart in my throat. Everything seemed to freeze inside of me. I was cold inside and out. They were out there... Out there in that mess... Somewhere. My heart ached at the thought that we might never be able to find them. I would never hear MOMO's bright laughter, see chaos' caring face, hear Shion scolding Allen, feel KOS-MOS' demanding presence, or sense Ziggy's demure silence. Sure, I had only known four of them for a few days... but all of them were the most unique, singularly engaging people I had even known. I think that the others had been talking while I spaced out, and, without warning, I jumped to my feet, dots of pain flashing before my eyes.
"Well, we gotta go find them!" I cried. I almost lost my balance, but I grabbed onto chaos' chair to keep from falling over. Matthews and Tony turned to me, seemingly taken by surprise. I hit my fist on chaos' chair to emphasize my point, "We can't just leave them out there if there's even a single chance of finding them! You can't knowingly-"
"Cool it!" Matthews interjected, holding his hands up as if in defense, "Cool your jets! I wasn't gonna leave 'em out there." Then quietly, to himself, as if trying to uphold some sort of dignity, "They still owe me money." I blinked again, then realized that my head was stinging with needle-points of pain. My knees buckled, and I started to fall, but Matthews grabbed my arm and slung it over his shoulder. I was taken aback.
"Captain?"
"Tony!" He called, helping to prop me up, "Check the thrusters and fire 'em up! Tell your friend there," he indicated Allen at this point, "to throw on the searchlights. We don't leave until we find every single one of 'em. Got me?
"Aye, sir!" Tony cajoled, his eager face turning back to the helm. Allen, still at my station, looked nervously at the control panel. I sighed hopelessly, wishing only that he didn't destroy my work station. The Captain started walking for the doors, propping me up with his shoulder. He helped me off of the bridge and to my cabin. He stood in the doorway as I sat on my bunk, still feeling pricks of pain in my brain. After a second of waiting, Matthews cleared his throat.
"Anyway... For yesterday... er... Sorry," he mumbled. I stared, amazed, then nodded. Before I could say thanks, he left, letting the door close behind him. I leaned back on my pillow, taking off my headgear and feeling the growing lump protruding from my skull. I hadn't thought about it until now, but I realized how much my life had changed ever since KOS-MOS commandeered our ship. I realized that I ha been selfish before, asking for nothing but thanks, while I myself didn't thank Tony for what he did for us. Not until I learned that five of our number had disappeared did I really think about what I had learned from each of them. Patience from chaos, reasoning from KOS-MOS, cheer from MOMO, respect from Shion, and nothing but the truth from Ziggy. Each of these people meant so much to me, and I was just now realizing it.
I hugged my knees up to my chest. If I tried not to think about them, I only worried more. They might be fighting for their lives down there inside of the Gnosis, and here I was, curled up like a baby in my dark cabin. It wasn't right. It wasn't fair. I should be up there helping the guys find the others, not whining and wasting away in my room. It wasn't right.
It wasn't fair.
"Hammer!" Matthews' gruff voice came from behind me, "You all right, kid?" he asked. That was concern in his voice. For a moment, I felt guilty of previously thinking that he didn't care about me. I forced myself into a sitting position on the cold, hard floor of the Elsa's cockpit. I adjusted my glasses, which had gone askew in my unplanned flight across the room. My eyes focused on the bulky form of the Captain, standing directly over me, a large welt growing on the left side of his face. I rubbed my forehead, reminded of the increasing pain in my own head.
"Man," I whispered in awe, looking around the cockpit at the debris that had been scattered in the collision, "What just happened?"
"Hear, hear!" I heard Tony call from his seat further up. I scanned his person for any injuries, and saw that there was a series of bruises on his face and shoulders. Matthews' sighed, pulling a cigarette from his pocket and lighting it with one deft stroke.
"I have no idea," he told us honestly, "Last thing I knew, you went flyin' from your seat and knocked your head on chaos' chair there. Consider yourself a lucky kid," he took a moment to draw at his cigarette, and as he exhaled, he continued, "If you hadn't been wearin' that stupid headgear of yours, your head woulda been split clean open." Tony shuddered visibly.
"Please, Captain! I just ate!"
"We all know damn well you didn't, ya moron!" Matthews grunted, "You were up here all- ah, hell with it..." When the Captain mentioned chaos, my thoughts went again to his sudden disappearance. I tried to stand, but was overwhelmed by dizziness and was forced to sit back in the same position on the floor. I looked pathetically up to the Captain and asked my question.
"Er, Captain... Where IS chaos?"
He looked perplexed for a moment, then puffed lightly on his cigarette, seeming like he didn't have a care in the world. I shot him an unpleasant look, displeased with his calmness. Matthews either disregarded the look I shot him or he didn't notice.
"He probably snuck off to the cabins to see how the others are doing. Speaking of which..." Matthews flipped on the intercom switch and spoke loud enough so that anyone on the ship could have heard his voice, "Hey, Miss Vector! Come on up to the bridge and bring chaos with you, while you're at it!" We waited for minutes in agonized silence. Matthews hit the com switch again, speaking louder, "Miss Vector?" A fear began to grow in my heart as I waited for the bridge doors to open and for Shion to waltz in, asking why the Captain was shouting so loudly. But she didn't come. Tony had turned around by now, his green eyes darting from the Captain, standing silently, to the doors, which had yet to open. After frightening moments of unbroken silence, we were rewarded with the sound of shoes clicking on the metal floor outside the doors. But who entered onto the bridge, we did not expect.
Allen Ridgely, his eyes looking like they would yield tears at any second, stood stiff and tall, obviously to keep himself from breaking out weeping. My heart leapt with joy that someone other that Tony, the Captain and myself was breathing on this ship. But my heart sunk back to the depths when Allen related his statement.
"The Chief's gone," his voice trying to mask his sadness, "They're all gone... I-" his voice broke, and he stopped to wipe a tear that made its way down his face, "I looked for all of them- the Chief, KOS-MOS, chaos, Ziggy and MOMO- but no one was... they all were..."
"Take a deep breath, kid," Matthews told him quietly, his voice holding a grave tone I had never heard him use before. I blinked rapidly in succession. Gone? Gone where? Where could five people have snuck off to in this little ship? Why? I furrowed my brows in contemplation, only to have pain shoot through my head again. As I cradled my head in my hands, I heard Tony speak from his position at the helm.
"Maybe," his now timid voice came, "they're out there somewhere..." As worried as I was about the others, contempt and ridicule rose in my voice.
"Isn't 'out there' outer space? How could they possibly..." I glanced up at Allen, his face contorted with horror as he stared out the front window. I dared to look behind me, to where Allen, Tony and the Captain were all staring. At first I was inarticulate. It was impossible. I heard Allen at my station, pressing buttons in a succession I was unfamiliar with. He made a sound that sounded as if what he found confirmed what he sought, but he didn't like the outcome.
"We're inside..." Allen took another deep breath, "Inside a Gnosis."
"Sweet mother of God..." Matthews whispered. I felt my heart in my throat. Everything seemed to freeze inside of me. I was cold inside and out. They were out there... Out there in that mess... Somewhere. My heart ached at the thought that we might never be able to find them. I would never hear MOMO's bright laughter, see chaos' caring face, hear Shion scolding Allen, feel KOS-MOS' demanding presence, or sense Ziggy's demure silence. Sure, I had only known four of them for a few days... but all of them were the most unique, singularly engaging people I had even known. I think that the others had been talking while I spaced out, and, without warning, I jumped to my feet, dots of pain flashing before my eyes.
"Well, we gotta go find them!" I cried. I almost lost my balance, but I grabbed onto chaos' chair to keep from falling over. Matthews and Tony turned to me, seemingly taken by surprise. I hit my fist on chaos' chair to emphasize my point, "We can't just leave them out there if there's even a single chance of finding them! You can't knowingly-"
"Cool it!" Matthews interjected, holding his hands up as if in defense, "Cool your jets! I wasn't gonna leave 'em out there." Then quietly, to himself, as if trying to uphold some sort of dignity, "They still owe me money." I blinked again, then realized that my head was stinging with needle-points of pain. My knees buckled, and I started to fall, but Matthews grabbed my arm and slung it over his shoulder. I was taken aback.
"Captain?"
"Tony!" He called, helping to prop me up, "Check the thrusters and fire 'em up! Tell your friend there," he indicated Allen at this point, "to throw on the searchlights. We don't leave until we find every single one of 'em. Got me?
"Aye, sir!" Tony cajoled, his eager face turning back to the helm. Allen, still at my station, looked nervously at the control panel. I sighed hopelessly, wishing only that he didn't destroy my work station. The Captain started walking for the doors, propping me up with his shoulder. He helped me off of the bridge and to my cabin. He stood in the doorway as I sat on my bunk, still feeling pricks of pain in my brain. After a second of waiting, Matthews cleared his throat.
"Anyway... For yesterday... er... Sorry," he mumbled. I stared, amazed, then nodded. Before I could say thanks, he left, letting the door close behind him. I leaned back on my pillow, taking off my headgear and feeling the growing lump protruding from my skull. I hadn't thought about it until now, but I realized how much my life had changed ever since KOS-MOS commandeered our ship. I realized that I ha been selfish before, asking for nothing but thanks, while I myself didn't thank Tony for what he did for us. Not until I learned that five of our number had disappeared did I really think about what I had learned from each of them. Patience from chaos, reasoning from KOS-MOS, cheer from MOMO, respect from Shion, and nothing but the truth from Ziggy. Each of these people meant so much to me, and I was just now realizing it.
I hugged my knees up to my chest. If I tried not to think about them, I only worried more. They might be fighting for their lives down there inside of the Gnosis, and here I was, curled up like a baby in my dark cabin. It wasn't right. It wasn't fair. I should be up there helping the guys find the others, not whining and wasting away in my room. It wasn't right.
It wasn't fair.