A/N: Reviews please!
Cassandra's POV
I hate cryo.
I've only ever been though it three times
But, it always scares the hell out of me
That's why I'm not asleep
I can see the other passengers from my cell, as I lie here wide awake.
( I know they call it a chamber, but it feels like a cell to me. But that could just be because of my claustrophobia)
There's eight others, not counting Teke and myself
I don't know how many they put per level, but I heard this ship can carry at least 500 people.
Across from me is a tough-looking woman.
Black, probably early-to-mid thirties, but has a haggard look to her face that makes her seem older.
I heard from some of the other passengers that she's a mass weapons dealer, but could tell that already from the guns she's carrying, as well as the wicked looking blades she's got in sheaths on her forearms.
In the chamber next to mine is a bookish looking guy with deadly pale skin and glasses so thick, they could be mirrors
He looks pretty young, my age or a little bit older
Probably a teacher, fresh from the colleges, going to some remote planet to educate the "savage" life forms there
Doesn't really look like he'll stand a chance against them
Then on my left, there's a tall, skinny guy. White, but heavily tanned with strong muscles in his arms, under his short-sleeve shirt.
His wife's in the chamber next to him.
She's Asian and similarly tanned.
They both look like they're in the early forties, but I can't really tell, because being a grifter can do that to you.
Age you, make you look older than you really are.
Must be hard, traveling around from colony to colony, hoping to find a bit of work.
Well, here's luck to them.
Next to the weapons dealer is a guy I've got pegged as a bounty hunter.
Seen plenty of them on Helion Prime and even if he isn't, he looks a lot like one.
Lots of basic weapons strapped into holsters on his legs and chest
Comfortable clothing, god for any climate, not too loose, not too tight.
Short hair, verging on military buzz-cut
Mean, hungry look on his face
Also, he's sporting some wicked scars on his cheeks and neck and they look too deep to be self-inflicted, so I'm thinking he's been in a lot of fights or battles.
You also got this guy whose most likely a few years younger than me and his master, a priest.
Not quite sure what race the master is from, but I can tell from his robes that he's a Buddhist, probably headed for New Tibet with his disciple.
The kid's Hindu and looks kind of scary with his shaved head, because his eyes are really big and he has really sticky-out cheekbones, so he sort of looks like a grinning skull when he smiles.
Wonder if anyone ever thought that about me ?
Kid seems pretty nice though
And then you have this woman who might be in her early thirties
Can't really place her, all I know is she seems to be of Native American descent and could be pretty if it weren't for the massive scars, like burn marks covering one side of her face.
Finally, there's the captain
Big guy, muscular and tall
He has a certain look to his eyes sometimes that sends shivers down my spine
Like when he was looking at Teke this morning.
Sort of a "I could kill you if you just gave me the right reason" look
I'm attracted to him though
Don't really know why, but it feels like I know him from somewhere..........
Cassandra's mind instantly turned to the dreams she used to have of a man.
He was always appearing in the dark, his face obscured from the small amount of light that existed.
He terrified her, yet intrigued her. Then, as always, just before she saw his face, she would wake up.
She had never figured out who he was or what significance he held to her, but she always felt that he would be important to her somehow and she could feel now in her heart, that this was him.
My eyes finally start to close.
Guess I'm more tired than I thought
Just as they slip shut though, I feel the crushing pain of another vision coming on.
I press my hands to my head, trying to block it out, but it comes on, like always.
I see the black oblivion of space, only disturbed by a small ship traveling through it.
Then the ship is struck by a large meteor
As the vision releases me, I begin to panic.
What if this isn't a soon-to-be now vision ? What if it is a now vision ?
I look up and see that the captain is also awake.
I try to get his attention, but the glass is too thick for him to hear me through.
Then, there's this really big bang and the whole ship starts shaking like its going to fall apart.
A horrible screeching noise, like rock on metal, fills the main hull and the lights go out, then come on again, but when it does it's a flashing red warning light.
The siren starts going off and the noise really hurts my head.
The doors seal themselves in the emergency landing procedure.
I'm really starting to freak now, but then I remember that thing that Alene taught me, before she died.
It's this kind of meditation, where I take myself to some other place in my head.
I'm still conscious, but it's like I'm not really in my body anymore.
On some other level I notice that the captain is also awake.
He forces the door of his chamber open and runs out of the main hull.
Then, the cryo gets turned off and the other passengers start waking up as well.
The kid starts getting really upset, I mean he's on the verge of tears, but his master tells him that it will be all right, Buddha will protect them, or some religious junk like that.
The bookish guy looks really scared as well and he turns like five shades whiter than he usually is.
This automatic voice comes on, saying we all need to remain calm, stay in our chambers and do up our safety belts.
I find mine and do the straps up over my chest.
The panic starts rising in my throat and I feel like I'm being strangled, but I close my eyes again and try to brace myself for the impact ................