Spaceship
* * *
She hesitated, and it paused, looking back at her. Her body ached and she wondered if she would be able to move. But the thing was patient, and in time Penny struggled to her feet, wincing at the pain of standing, steadying herself against the cavern wall. The thing moved on then, into a short passage, and she followed.
It grew brighter as she moved, though it was still dim and several times she bumped her toes against the rocks that lay scattered over the uneven floor of the cavern. They passed several openings and she realized that save for the thing to follow, she would have long ago lost her way. But it was patient as she moved, always keeping ahead but never moving too fast. She could feel moisture in the air, on her skin, thick as it made the dust sticky against her. The walls became slick and it was harder to keep her footing.
The thing stopped, looked back at her. Then it turned ahead again, and the passage opened into a another room. Penny halted, blinking.
The room was too large to make out the entirety of it in the dim light. But there were others like the thing there, moving about, scurrying around the large shape that dominated the center of the chamber. It was a shape that was, though alien, still familiar, for Penny had, in her years in space, become accustomed to such things.
A spaceship.
#
The creature was moving down now, over the jumble of rocks that led to the floor of the cavern. It turned to her and watched her, its voice sounding just a bit different here.
"Come," it said.
Penny did, picking her way carefully through the stones. Twice she slipped, once falling, spasms of pain shooting up her side as she did, sending the air from her lungs in a rush. But at last she stood on the floor of the great room, her eyes again on the creature and the spaceship behind it.
And she saw then, as a large section of the ship went transparent.
"Come, then," the thing said. "See what you have done."
She made it to the side of the ship, looked within.
And she gasped.
#
It was another, a creature identical to the one that had brought her here. But this one, Penny saw right away, was far from well. It lay on a table, unmoving, a long burn across its belly.
A familiar sort of burn. She remembered, long ago, sitting in the chariot, passing the fallen form of the giant cyclops after Dad had shot it down. There had been a burn like this on that creature too, long and straight, cutting flesh.
A laser burn.
"Oh, God," she moaned. Her knees went weak and she had to settle to the floor of the cavern.
The creature with her was silent now, watching its fellow. And as she watched too, Penny saw that there was more than just the burn on the thing inside the spaceship. Around the burn it was white, wet, this contrasting sharply with its black skin. She spoke softly then.
"Infection?"
The creature beside her looked at her.
"Yes. We die, slowly. You have killed us."
* * *
She hesitated, and it paused, looking back at her. Her body ached and she wondered if she would be able to move. But the thing was patient, and in time Penny struggled to her feet, wincing at the pain of standing, steadying herself against the cavern wall. The thing moved on then, into a short passage, and she followed.
It grew brighter as she moved, though it was still dim and several times she bumped her toes against the rocks that lay scattered over the uneven floor of the cavern. They passed several openings and she realized that save for the thing to follow, she would have long ago lost her way. But it was patient as she moved, always keeping ahead but never moving too fast. She could feel moisture in the air, on her skin, thick as it made the dust sticky against her. The walls became slick and it was harder to keep her footing.
The thing stopped, looked back at her. Then it turned ahead again, and the passage opened into a another room. Penny halted, blinking.
The room was too large to make out the entirety of it in the dim light. But there were others like the thing there, moving about, scurrying around the large shape that dominated the center of the chamber. It was a shape that was, though alien, still familiar, for Penny had, in her years in space, become accustomed to such things.
A spaceship.
#
The creature was moving down now, over the jumble of rocks that led to the floor of the cavern. It turned to her and watched her, its voice sounding just a bit different here.
"Come," it said.
Penny did, picking her way carefully through the stones. Twice she slipped, once falling, spasms of pain shooting up her side as she did, sending the air from her lungs in a rush. But at last she stood on the floor of the great room, her eyes again on the creature and the spaceship behind it.
And she saw then, as a large section of the ship went transparent.
"Come, then," the thing said. "See what you have done."
She made it to the side of the ship, looked within.
And she gasped.
#
It was another, a creature identical to the one that had brought her here. But this one, Penny saw right away, was far from well. It lay on a table, unmoving, a long burn across its belly.
A familiar sort of burn. She remembered, long ago, sitting in the chariot, passing the fallen form of the giant cyclops after Dad had shot it down. There had been a burn like this on that creature too, long and straight, cutting flesh.
A laser burn.
"Oh, God," she moaned. Her knees went weak and she had to settle to the floor of the cavern.
The creature with her was silent now, watching its fellow. And as she watched too, Penny saw that there was more than just the burn on the thing inside the spaceship. Around the burn it was white, wet, this contrasting sharply with its black skin. She spoke softly then.
"Infection?"
The creature beside her looked at her.
"Yes. We die, slowly. You have killed us."