Disclaimer: Eeewww, what is that?..... O.o .... I dis
claim any ownership at all.
Chapter 22: Launch
"Maybe I'll see you when we get there?" Abby was
asking me, as she was getting ready to be placed into
stasis.
"Of course. I plan on it." I smiled, "I can't wait."
Abby leaned back into the stasis tube, and closed her
eyes, "See you on the other side."
I smiled at her one last time and shut the tube
hatch. I nodded to the tech, sitting a little ways
away at a small console.
The stasis initiated and the tube was lifted up straight
into a slot high above the floor.
I sighed and left for the Alpha ship. Newly painted
on the sides of each and every ship in bold letters
was the word SEEDS. After I had told Alex the story of
my sister, bringing up the geranium seeds from earth
to a new home in the hydroponics lab of Luna station,
he had said it was a fitting metaphor for the project.
Thus the word was now emblazoned on the sides of the
ships. At the pre-launch party, Alex had somehow found
me a geranium plant. I had it in our quarters. It was
just about to bloom too.
I walked the route to the bridge of the Alpha ship
almost mechanically. Something still didn't feel
right. Maybe it was just apprehension of the launch,
but I felt as if something terribly wrong was about to
happen.
"Three minutes to launch." Rowan said from his seat.
"All systems active and ready to go." Alex flicked a
switch on his console.
I sat in my seat and pulled the seatbelt harness over
my shoulders. Mary slipped into her seat to the right
of Rowan. Joey, Steve and Alex were all ready at their
stations monitoring the systems for launch.
"Two minutes."
I looked back at Alex and watched as he concentrated
on his console. His brow was furrowed, he was worried
about something.
"One minute."
I looked back to the view screen as a few of the
ships began to rise up through the open ceiling of the
cavern.
"Five seconds, four, three, two, one."
"Igniting engines." Alex said, "releasing docking
clamps."
I heard the engines start up. Then a jolt coursed
through the bridge.
"Docking clamps are malfunctioning!" Alex yelled.
"Can you fix the malfunction from here?" Joey asked
hurriedly.
Alex shook his head, "It has to be done manually, it
would take to long to fix from here!"
Suddenly that foreboding feeling was back, "No." I
whispered
"I'm going down there!" Alex said as he pulled
himself from his seatbelt.
"But you'll be killed by the blast of the engines!"
Joey cried.
Alex gave Joey a sad look, "I know."
I ripped my seatbelt off, and stood, "No, Alex, there
has to be another way!"
Alex shook his head, "No, there isn't, Rem."
I rushed up to him and pulled him into a hug, my fingers
furiously grabbing onto his shirt, "I don't want to lose you!"
"I know. I'm sorry Rem, but to many lives depend upon
the launch of this ship. I love you."
He kissed me one last time, then pushed me back, and
ran out the door.
"No Alex!" I ran after him. Joey was not far behind,
"Wait, Rem!"
Alex was standing in the elevator that would take him
down to the docking clamps.
The door was closing. I saw his smile for the last
time as the gap between the doors closed.
"NO!" I slammed my fist on the door, "Come back!
Alex!"
I fell to me knees, and felt warm tears fall down my
cheek, "No..."
No.
Joey walked me back to the bridge, I felt cold,
empty, dark. My only light had been taken away.
"I'm sorry Rem, but please, Alex knew what he was
doing. He was aware of the risks."
I choked, and said nothing. Joey helped me to my
seat, and I didn't argue as he put my harness back in
place.
He then went back to his seat.
Another jolt in the ship indicated that the clamps
had been released, and I felt the g-force pushing us
back as we lifted up into the atmosphere, meaning that
Alex was truly gone. A wave of tears fell down my
face.
Alex had succeeded. I was happy, and sad all at the
same time. He had succeeded but at the cost of his own
life.
The cost of my life? Could I go on without him?
"He saved us all Rem." Joey said, "He saved every
one. The other ships would not be able to navigate
without this ship."
We were now outside the solar system, Sol was
only a small speck among all the others.
"I know. And I'm happy for that." I looked up at him,
and smiled sadly, "I just need some time to think."
I left the bridge and began walking the halls. I
walked till I got to a narrow door that read "rec.
room." I entered and found myself in a large grassy
valley.
Alex had taken me here a couple of times, it was
beautiful. I would always remember him when I went there.
I sank to my knees under a large tree, and stared up at
the vast artificial sky.
Alex had taught a that song under this tree.
"Oh, Alex." I began humming the tune to myself, tears
in my eyes.
I would have to continue on alone.
In Alex and my quarters that night, the geraniums
bloomed. They were red.
'It means determination,' my sister's voice came
floating back to me from the past in a whisper.
"There's a malfunction in Plant three!" Steve yelled,
over the intercom, "There's an energy spike!"
"C'mon!" Joey said, "We have to manually shut it
down!"
Mary rushed to the observation window into the Plant
room, while Rowan, Joey, Steve and I pulled on
bio-suits.
The energy fluctuations were causing malfunctions in
the environmental controls, so the room was incredibly
hot.
"I'm picking up two bio signs in the room! They're
not human!"
A look passed between the four of us. The other
three, grabbed a laser pistol each.
"Where did these life signs come from? Do you think
they're aliens?" Steve asked, as we rushed down the
corridor towards the Plant room.
"We'll see when we get there." Joey replied.
"Please don't shoot anything that's in there." I
said, "We don't know if they mean us any harm."
"I'll make that decision when we get there Rem." He
answered quickly.
Rowan tapped the control panel, a wave of hot air
blasted us as the door slid open.
"Rowan check the readouts on the plant see if you can
shut it down. Mary? Where are the life signs
originating from?" Joey asked.
"Just under the Plant bulb." Mary's voice came in
over the comm.
"Rem, Steve, lets go."
We approached the bulb, which was glowing brighter
and brighter by the second.
"There!" Steve said, he pointed to two little figures
just under the curve of the bulb.
Rowan came up behind us, "I can't do anything, I've
been locked out."
Joey, brought up his laser pistol and Rowan and Steve
did as well, "What are they?"
Suddenly the bright light in the bulb died down to
something within what was normal.
"Energy levels are returning to normal." Mary's voice
said.
Now that everything had calmed down I could hear...
crying?
The crying of infants.
I rushed in font of the guns, "No don't! They're only
infants!"
After the umbilical cords that had connected them to
the Plant had been severed, I'd wrapped the two little
boys in a blanket, and I now held them in my arms.
The other four crowded around the two and I looking
at the odd sight.
They were like Alex had been, born with free will
into the world.
Joey made it my responsibility to take care of them,
since I wouldn't let them destroy the children.
I was alright with that. They became something for me
to live for.
Even die for.
claim any ownership at all.
Chapter 22: Launch
"Maybe I'll see you when we get there?" Abby was
asking me, as she was getting ready to be placed into
stasis.
"Of course. I plan on it." I smiled, "I can't wait."
Abby leaned back into the stasis tube, and closed her
eyes, "See you on the other side."
I smiled at her one last time and shut the tube
hatch. I nodded to the tech, sitting a little ways
away at a small console.
The stasis initiated and the tube was lifted up straight
into a slot high above the floor.
I sighed and left for the Alpha ship. Newly painted
on the sides of each and every ship in bold letters
was the word SEEDS. After I had told Alex the story of
my sister, bringing up the geranium seeds from earth
to a new home in the hydroponics lab of Luna station,
he had said it was a fitting metaphor for the project.
Thus the word was now emblazoned on the sides of the
ships. At the pre-launch party, Alex had somehow found
me a geranium plant. I had it in our quarters. It was
just about to bloom too.
I walked the route to the bridge of the Alpha ship
almost mechanically. Something still didn't feel
right. Maybe it was just apprehension of the launch,
but I felt as if something terribly wrong was about to
happen.
"Three minutes to launch." Rowan said from his seat.
"All systems active and ready to go." Alex flicked a
switch on his console.
I sat in my seat and pulled the seatbelt harness over
my shoulders. Mary slipped into her seat to the right
of Rowan. Joey, Steve and Alex were all ready at their
stations monitoring the systems for launch.
"Two minutes."
I looked back at Alex and watched as he concentrated
on his console. His brow was furrowed, he was worried
about something.
"One minute."
I looked back to the view screen as a few of the
ships began to rise up through the open ceiling of the
cavern.
"Five seconds, four, three, two, one."
"Igniting engines." Alex said, "releasing docking
clamps."
I heard the engines start up. Then a jolt coursed
through the bridge.
"Docking clamps are malfunctioning!" Alex yelled.
"Can you fix the malfunction from here?" Joey asked
hurriedly.
Alex shook his head, "It has to be done manually, it
would take to long to fix from here!"
Suddenly that foreboding feeling was back, "No." I
whispered
"I'm going down there!" Alex said as he pulled
himself from his seatbelt.
"But you'll be killed by the blast of the engines!"
Joey cried.
Alex gave Joey a sad look, "I know."
I ripped my seatbelt off, and stood, "No, Alex, there
has to be another way!"
Alex shook his head, "No, there isn't, Rem."
I rushed up to him and pulled him into a hug, my fingers
furiously grabbing onto his shirt, "I don't want to lose you!"
"I know. I'm sorry Rem, but to many lives depend upon
the launch of this ship. I love you."
He kissed me one last time, then pushed me back, and
ran out the door.
"No Alex!" I ran after him. Joey was not far behind,
"Wait, Rem!"
Alex was standing in the elevator that would take him
down to the docking clamps.
The door was closing. I saw his smile for the last
time as the gap between the doors closed.
"NO!" I slammed my fist on the door, "Come back!
Alex!"
I fell to me knees, and felt warm tears fall down my
cheek, "No..."
No.
Joey walked me back to the bridge, I felt cold,
empty, dark. My only light had been taken away.
"I'm sorry Rem, but please, Alex knew what he was
doing. He was aware of the risks."
I choked, and said nothing. Joey helped me to my
seat, and I didn't argue as he put my harness back in
place.
He then went back to his seat.
Another jolt in the ship indicated that the clamps
had been released, and I felt the g-force pushing us
back as we lifted up into the atmosphere, meaning that
Alex was truly gone. A wave of tears fell down my
face.
Alex had succeeded. I was happy, and sad all at the
same time. He had succeeded but at the cost of his own
life.
The cost of my life? Could I go on without him?
"He saved us all Rem." Joey said, "He saved every
one. The other ships would not be able to navigate
without this ship."
We were now outside the solar system, Sol was
only a small speck among all the others.
"I know. And I'm happy for that." I looked up at him,
and smiled sadly, "I just need some time to think."
I left the bridge and began walking the halls. I
walked till I got to a narrow door that read "rec.
room." I entered and found myself in a large grassy
valley.
Alex had taken me here a couple of times, it was
beautiful. I would always remember him when I went there.
I sank to my knees under a large tree, and stared up at
the vast artificial sky.
Alex had taught a that song under this tree.
"Oh, Alex." I began humming the tune to myself, tears
in my eyes.
I would have to continue on alone.
In Alex and my quarters that night, the geraniums
bloomed. They were red.
'It means determination,' my sister's voice came
floating back to me from the past in a whisper.
"There's a malfunction in Plant three!" Steve yelled,
over the intercom, "There's an energy spike!"
"C'mon!" Joey said, "We have to manually shut it
down!"
Mary rushed to the observation window into the Plant
room, while Rowan, Joey, Steve and I pulled on
bio-suits.
The energy fluctuations were causing malfunctions in
the environmental controls, so the room was incredibly
hot.
"I'm picking up two bio signs in the room! They're
not human!"
A look passed between the four of us. The other
three, grabbed a laser pistol each.
"Where did these life signs come from? Do you think
they're aliens?" Steve asked, as we rushed down the
corridor towards the Plant room.
"We'll see when we get there." Joey replied.
"Please don't shoot anything that's in there." I
said, "We don't know if they mean us any harm."
"I'll make that decision when we get there Rem." He
answered quickly.
Rowan tapped the control panel, a wave of hot air
blasted us as the door slid open.
"Rowan check the readouts on the plant see if you can
shut it down. Mary? Where are the life signs
originating from?" Joey asked.
"Just under the Plant bulb." Mary's voice came in
over the comm.
"Rem, Steve, lets go."
We approached the bulb, which was glowing brighter
and brighter by the second.
"There!" Steve said, he pointed to two little figures
just under the curve of the bulb.
Rowan came up behind us, "I can't do anything, I've
been locked out."
Joey, brought up his laser pistol and Rowan and Steve
did as well, "What are they?"
Suddenly the bright light in the bulb died down to
something within what was normal.
"Energy levels are returning to normal." Mary's voice
said.
Now that everything had calmed down I could hear...
crying?
The crying of infants.
I rushed in font of the guns, "No don't! They're only
infants!"
After the umbilical cords that had connected them to
the Plant had been severed, I'd wrapped the two little
boys in a blanket, and I now held them in my arms.
The other four crowded around the two and I looking
at the odd sight.
They were like Alex had been, born with free will
into the world.
Joey made it my responsibility to take care of them,
since I wouldn't let them destroy the children.
I was alright with that. They became something for me
to live for.
Even die for.