William Ferguson drew in his breath with a sharp hiss. Jenna had been
acting like the light was a big deal and despite her naiveté she was a good
scientist, so he played along. But if he had known what had been hidden
there, he would have called in every researcher, expert and explorer he
could get until it was found and identified.
There, nestled among the roughened, jagged walls of the crevice, lay pure light. Piercing beams of radiance flowed out through the freezing water like a small sun, shattering into a million different multihued rays as they met floating debris and illuminating the coarse iron walls of the Odyssey with a steady glow. Barely visible through the radiant folds was the outline of a single, flawless jewel.
The scientist sat down heavily on one of the uncomfortable swivel chairs, staring at the round window. He turned it with a loud squeak and picked up the headphones, contacting the ship. "We're going to be famous, Thomas," he said into it, tearing his gaze away from the spectacle. "You asked what we were going to do... We're going to bring it up, take pictures, do interviews, get our pictures on Time magazine and remain rich and famous for the rest of our lives."
Jenna's voice crackled harshly with static as she replied. "Aren't 'we' forgetting something, doctor? I was the one who found it!" she said, a note of panic in her voice. "It's my discovery! All you did was demand that we take you to see it!"
Truthfully, the memory of the light had been growing on her since she had left the pod. She had tried to get it out but it had remained in her head, and why not? It was her discovery. She found it, she had rights to it. Ferguson was jealous... he would try and take the credit. Jenna shook her head in annoyance. It was just like him! Why did she ever tell him about it?
"If you want to get technical with me, it was Peter who found..."
She cut off his voice with a bark of exasperation. Squeezing her eyes shut, she counted to ten... and again. It was no use. "PETER IS A ING MORON!" she screeched into the tiny microphone, causing Ferguson to pull the earphones off to keep his hearing. "I FOUND IT! IT'S MINE!"
Ferguson blinked in alarm. She was wrong, of course. He had funded the project, he had helped build the Odyssey 5, if it wasn't for him they would never have found it. Scowling unhappily, he searched the control panel for something that could pick up the jewel.
"Sir, what are you doing?"
Peter's voice startled him and he jumped. "I'm going to get it, that's what I'm going to do!" he exclaimed, glaring at the researcher.
"I don't think..." he began, but Ferguson cut him off.
"That's the problem! You never do! You have no ambition, no aspiration to anything! You're only here because you do what we tell you to! And right now, I'm telling you to GET THE OUT OF MY WAY!"
Peter reeled back as if he had been punched, his face falling into an expression like a kicked puppy. Ferguson glared at him in exasperation for a second then turned away, deliberately ignoring him as he set the Odyssey on a course back to the ship.
There, nestled among the roughened, jagged walls of the crevice, lay pure light. Piercing beams of radiance flowed out through the freezing water like a small sun, shattering into a million different multihued rays as they met floating debris and illuminating the coarse iron walls of the Odyssey with a steady glow. Barely visible through the radiant folds was the outline of a single, flawless jewel.
The scientist sat down heavily on one of the uncomfortable swivel chairs, staring at the round window. He turned it with a loud squeak and picked up the headphones, contacting the ship. "We're going to be famous, Thomas," he said into it, tearing his gaze away from the spectacle. "You asked what we were going to do... We're going to bring it up, take pictures, do interviews, get our pictures on Time magazine and remain rich and famous for the rest of our lives."
Jenna's voice crackled harshly with static as she replied. "Aren't 'we' forgetting something, doctor? I was the one who found it!" she said, a note of panic in her voice. "It's my discovery! All you did was demand that we take you to see it!"
Truthfully, the memory of the light had been growing on her since she had left the pod. She had tried to get it out but it had remained in her head, and why not? It was her discovery. She found it, she had rights to it. Ferguson was jealous... he would try and take the credit. Jenna shook her head in annoyance. It was just like him! Why did she ever tell him about it?
"If you want to get technical with me, it was Peter who found..."
She cut off his voice with a bark of exasperation. Squeezing her eyes shut, she counted to ten... and again. It was no use. "PETER IS A ING MORON!" she screeched into the tiny microphone, causing Ferguson to pull the earphones off to keep his hearing. "I FOUND IT! IT'S MINE!"
Ferguson blinked in alarm. She was wrong, of course. He had funded the project, he had helped build the Odyssey 5, if it wasn't for him they would never have found it. Scowling unhappily, he searched the control panel for something that could pick up the jewel.
"Sir, what are you doing?"
Peter's voice startled him and he jumped. "I'm going to get it, that's what I'm going to do!" he exclaimed, glaring at the researcher.
"I don't think..." he began, but Ferguson cut him off.
"That's the problem! You never do! You have no ambition, no aspiration to anything! You're only here because you do what we tell you to! And right now, I'm telling you to GET THE OUT OF MY WAY!"
Peter reeled back as if he had been punched, his face falling into an expression like a kicked puppy. Ferguson glared at him in exasperation for a second then turned away, deliberately ignoring him as he set the Odyssey on a course back to the ship.