CHAPTER 5
ICAPTAIN ARAN! HEEEEELP!
There's nothing I can do…we've wasted all of our ammo on this thing, but it didn't do a thing to it…it looked as if it knew that we couldn't hurt it…and waited until we ran out…just so we would be demoralized…now, all I can do is watch my men die…then give in myself…
HEEEEEEELP! AAAAAAUGH!
I never thought it would end like this…I've never felt so….
…helpless…/i
The voice ended abruptly, replaced by that of a loud constant roar.
Heat…intense heat…
Lita started to regain composure.
With her first conscious breath, she choked. She felt as if she would expel her lungs.
There was fire everywhere.
Where was she?
That's right, the ship. She must have crashed somewhere with a breathable atmosphere.
She had to get out.
Lita unbuckled her restraints, despite the sharp pains that pierced her body through and through.
There was no time to grab any food or weapons, only time to escape through the front window.
She lunged forward and fell out onto the soft grass. The impact of the fall induced more coughing, this time accompanied by blood.
Lita grasped for the ground, grating blades of grass and dirt with her fingers as she tried to get away from the blazing wreckage.
She went flat as a massive eruption of flame plasma belched from the vessel: the weapons cache.
Drifts of dirt and pieces of metal rained down onto the terrain, covering Lita in a fine brownish gray layer of dust.
Over the noise caused by the burning wreckage, she heard several dull thuds: footsteps.
Lita tried to get up, but her muscles failed her. Her sudden trauma had all but left her comatose.
Her vision blurred as a dark figure lifted her and carried her away.
LOG ENTRY 931
It's been three days since my crash. I'm not totally sure where I am, only that I'm on a planet in the Alimbic Cluster…
I woke up to the face of my captor just yesterday. From what I can tell, he's human. He hasn't made any attempt on my life, nor does he seem to be after answers. He actually hasn't said a word to me. He only comes and goes throughout the days, which have been short for me as of late.
Each morning, I've awoken to a cool, wet rag on my forehead and bowls full of food waiting at my side.
I think I finally have the energy to get to my feet…
Lita out…
Lita pulled herself to her feet and stretched. She was still sore from being jostled in the impact. She ran her hands along the bruises caused by her restraint harness. They were still tender, further evidence that what had happened was obviously not a dream.
"You're up," a voice said from behind her.
Lita spun around quickly, then clutched her midsection.
"You heard me. That's great. I thought you might have fallen deaf after the explosion. You never reacted to any of the other times I tried talking to you," the man said.
"Ugh…who are you?" Lita asked through her clinched teeth.
"Lance Corporal Cade Mitchell, Beta Team, ma'am, and who are you?"
"Captain 2nd Rank Lita Anjellis, Chrono Unit," Lita returned.
"A time cop, eh?" Cade quipped.
"Why do you say it like that?" Lita inquired, still holding her stomach.
"You were the golden children. You were the babies of the GF. Supposedly the elite guard…I don't see anything special about you," Cade criticized.
"Seems to me like we got all of the dirty jobs, catching all of the renegades you guys couldn't stop," Lita shot back.
"Touché," Cade said with a chuckle, "you sure didn't lose your wit in the crash."
"Now what's a Galactic Federation Lance Corporal doing out here?" Lita questioned.
"I'd rather not say," Cade said as he suddenly turned white.
"Beta Team…now isn't that the elite special teams unit?" Lita probed.
"It WAS…" Cade trailed off as he turned around.
"What happened?" Lita continued to interrogate her compatriot.
"I would be dishonorably discharged if I were to return to the GF. I fled from conflict…" Cade forced.
"A Beta Team soldier fleeing from battle?" Lita asked with a confused tone.
"It wasn't even battle. We hadn't even seen anything yet. It just didn't ifeel/i right…" Cade said.
"Wait…what didn't feel right? Who was your commanding officer?" Lita inquired.
"Captain Samus Aran…" Cade sighed.
Lita gasped and turned her head. She snapped it back.
"Where is she?" Lita sliced.
"I don't know, I…" Cade started.
Lita grabbed his collar with both hand and jerked him.
"WHERE IS SHE!" she blared.
Cade shrugged and threw her back.
"I told you I don't know! I fell to the back of the line and started on my way back out. When I turned to see if anyone was following me, it was like the cave never existed! It wasn't there! I thought I was hallucinating, but it seemed so ireal/i!"
"What are you talking about?" Lita stopped.
"We were sent to explore this cave that had been marked on our maps. Once we started into the tunnel, I got a bad feeling. It made me sick to my stomach and it felt like my eyes were burning. When I brought it to Captain Aran's attention, she merely wrote it off as cowardice and told me that I should either stick to the front or take off….I opted for the latter. I made my way back to the front of the cave, and once I cleared the opening, I turned around and it wasn't there!" Cade explained.
"Wasn't there…That doesn't make sense!" Lita said.
"You sound just like her…" Cade muttered.
"Like who?" Lita snapped.
"Captain Aran, you sound just like her, your tone and everything. You talk to me like I'm a yellow bellied coward…" Cade complained.
Lita's demeanor lessened in intensity.
"Well you should be ashamed, deserting your unit…but it seems like you may have been the only one that was correct…" Lita stated, "can you take me to where the cave was?"
"Well yeah, but I don't see the point, it's not like it'll be there," Cade answered.
"Get your things, let's go…" Lita ordered.
"Okay, whatever…" Cade said.
"Oh…and by the way…do you have any weapons?" Lita asked with raised eyebrows.
