"Okay, everything's okay." Harper became panicky when he saw what was happening to Trance. "This is just one really bad, really long dream." He turned to Tyr. "Tyr, pinch me. I want to make sure this is just a dream." Tyr shrugged and pinched Harper's shoulder. Harper yelped and rubbed his shoulder. "Oh, crap." He walked away rubbing his shoulder.
"Trance, are you feeling sick at all?" Dylan asked with concern in his voice. She shook her head. "Okay. So I'm assuming you're just in shock then, right?" She nodded. "Okay. Why don't we all mosey on down to command right about now?" Everybody agreed silently and followed Dylan, Beka with an arm around Trance, and Harper staying close to Tyr. Tyr would shoot him glances every so often and laugh to himself.
"Dylan, I'm really starting to miss myself," Rommie complained. "When are you going to make Harper fix me?"
"Harper's feeling a lot like shooting himself right now. He'll be back from the dead after lunch," Harper said.
"Don't make me turn this ship around," Dylan said, half angry, half joking.
"Yes, Dad," Rommie and Harper said simultaneously. Just as they said that, the lights on the ship went out and the crew was left in the dark.
"Andromeda?" Dylan's voice broke through the darkness. "Andromeda, activate emergency lighting." The lights didn't come on and Andromeda didn't reply. "Andromeda?" Still no answer. There was a loud thump and Harper said, "Ow!" Dylan faced the noise, which now came from in front of the rest of the crew. "Harper, just don't move," he said.
"Sorry, boss." A bright light blinded Dylan. The crew shielded their eyes while they adjusted to the light. When they could see again, Harper stood in front of them holding a flashlight. They all looked at him suspiciously. "I had it in my tool belt," he explained. "I thought I could use it as a weapon." Dylan snatched the flashlight from him and continued toward command. Him and Tyr had to open the large doors manually when they got there. Every console and every computer was offline. Harper noticed the quiet. "The engines are offline." Andromeda was dead in space, or so it seemed to the crew.
Beka stood in complete awe. "This all started with the kitten," she said quietly. She turned to Trance, who shimmered in the light from the flashlight. The skin on her face was turning purple as well, and her hair was becoming more yellow by the minute. Tyr and Dylan opened up cabinets in the walls and handed out the flashlights that were hidden in them to the rest of the crew. "Harper, you come with me to the engine room. The rest of you, stay here," Dylan said. His tone was that of someone who was annoyed.
"Boss, I don't know what's going on here, but I don't like it," Harper said as they walked. He flinched as a ping of pain hit him. "I don't know how much more of this I can take, Dylan."
Dylan paid no attention to what Harper said. Thoughts raced through his mind as they walked. "What the hell is causing this?" he thought. "It doesn't make sense that it's only the kitten causing this."
"Boss." Harper's voice broke his concentration. He looked at Harper, who had stopped walking and was now holding a hand to a wall. "We have got to do something quick. Without the Andromeda's systems online, she can't regulate pressure inside. If the pressure inside the ship goes any lower than the pressure outside, we're going to have major hull breaches. Sooner or later, she'll implode."
Dylan let Harper's words sink in as he looked around at the walls. "No power, no pressure… Which means implosion… No power means no escape pods, no power doors, no chance for the Maru to escape…" he thought. He continued walking towards the engine room. Harper followed him closely, mouthing the words that were in his mind but never making a sound. He would flinch every few minutes from pain.
* * *
"Trance, are you feeling sick at all?" Dylan asked with concern in his voice. She shook her head. "Okay. So I'm assuming you're just in shock then, right?" She nodded. "Okay. Why don't we all mosey on down to command right about now?" Everybody agreed silently and followed Dylan, Beka with an arm around Trance, and Harper staying close to Tyr. Tyr would shoot him glances every so often and laugh to himself.
"Dylan, I'm really starting to miss myself," Rommie complained. "When are you going to make Harper fix me?"
"Harper's feeling a lot like shooting himself right now. He'll be back from the dead after lunch," Harper said.
"Don't make me turn this ship around," Dylan said, half angry, half joking.
"Yes, Dad," Rommie and Harper said simultaneously. Just as they said that, the lights on the ship went out and the crew was left in the dark.
"Andromeda?" Dylan's voice broke through the darkness. "Andromeda, activate emergency lighting." The lights didn't come on and Andromeda didn't reply. "Andromeda?" Still no answer. There was a loud thump and Harper said, "Ow!" Dylan faced the noise, which now came from in front of the rest of the crew. "Harper, just don't move," he said.
"Sorry, boss." A bright light blinded Dylan. The crew shielded their eyes while they adjusted to the light. When they could see again, Harper stood in front of them holding a flashlight. They all looked at him suspiciously. "I had it in my tool belt," he explained. "I thought I could use it as a weapon." Dylan snatched the flashlight from him and continued toward command. Him and Tyr had to open the large doors manually when they got there. Every console and every computer was offline. Harper noticed the quiet. "The engines are offline." Andromeda was dead in space, or so it seemed to the crew.
Beka stood in complete awe. "This all started with the kitten," she said quietly. She turned to Trance, who shimmered in the light from the flashlight. The skin on her face was turning purple as well, and her hair was becoming more yellow by the minute. Tyr and Dylan opened up cabinets in the walls and handed out the flashlights that were hidden in them to the rest of the crew. "Harper, you come with me to the engine room. The rest of you, stay here," Dylan said. His tone was that of someone who was annoyed.
"Boss, I don't know what's going on here, but I don't like it," Harper said as they walked. He flinched as a ping of pain hit him. "I don't know how much more of this I can take, Dylan."
Dylan paid no attention to what Harper said. Thoughts raced through his mind as they walked. "What the hell is causing this?" he thought. "It doesn't make sense that it's only the kitten causing this."
"Boss." Harper's voice broke his concentration. He looked at Harper, who had stopped walking and was now holding a hand to a wall. "We have got to do something quick. Without the Andromeda's systems online, she can't regulate pressure inside. If the pressure inside the ship goes any lower than the pressure outside, we're going to have major hull breaches. Sooner or later, she'll implode."
Dylan let Harper's words sink in as he looked around at the walls. "No power, no pressure… Which means implosion… No power means no escape pods, no power doors, no chance for the Maru to escape…" he thought. He continued walking towards the engine room. Harper followed him closely, mouthing the words that were in his mind but never making a sound. He would flinch every few minutes from pain.
* * *