In Which They Try to Leave

Justina became aware of the darkness first, accompanied by a thickness and slowness that made it feel like a tangible substance. Next she became aware of voices. She stirred. She cracked her eyes open and blinked, trying to focus. Xanaria helped her sit up on the narrow bed and pressed a lukewarm disposable cup into her hands. "You're awake."

"You sound surprised." Justina mumbled. She took a cautious sip, realized it was coffee, and guzzled the rest.

"Your friend was worried about you." Noah told her, peeling away the medical patches. "But now that she knows you're fine she can go, right? We'll get you back down to… uh, Engineering?" He glanced at Dani for confirmation. "Once you are back in your own space, you should get some more rest."

"It's okay." Xanaria interjected. "I can stay until you get down there."

"No, that's alright." Justina said slowly, recognizing the discomfort on everyone's faces, "You should probably make sure Skipper has the door open for me."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I'm sure."

"Alright… Once I know you can walk."

Noah stiffened but didn't say anything. Justina glanced at him and at Dani, who seemed equal parts stubborn and annoyed. I wonder how much of that's from Xanaria and how much is from Dani.

"I think I'm fine. The coffee helped, thank you."

Justina looked for someplace to set the empty cup in this spartan room. Dani took it from her before she could place it on the floor by the bed and made it disappear through a hatch in the wall. Justina nodded her thanks and swung her legs off the bed. She stood carefully. The room swum, but she could breathe through it. She smiled reassuringly at everyone. "See? It's all good. I would like my own bed though, so if you could get Skipper to open the door that would be wonderful."

"Okay…" Xanaria still sounded uncertain, but the duality faded from Dani's face. Noah, watching, breathed a sigh of relief and sat down.

"Are you up for walking yet?" Dani asked. "You can rest a little longer if you want to."

"Honestly, I just want to go. This place has been successfully distracting but I really want to crawl into my own bed and hide for a while."

It was slow going. Justina kept stumbling over nothing, so Dani took her arm and Noah led the way. They stopped briefly at a cafe and Noah got her another coffee.

They passed an elevator and Justina angled toward it but Dani shook her head. "Not that one."

"Why not?"

Dani gestured at the plaque that said:

Pegasus Station

NW-P

Level 4

"We're still in P section, we need to get to Q. And we'll want to find NNE on this level because the farther out we get the longer the walk between elevators will be." Dani looked at her with some concern. "We could go in a level if you want. The distance between sections will be the same but the distance between the elevators will be a little less. We couldn't go far enough to make a significant difference in arc length, though. The sixteenths don't even start until level 5 and out."

Justina rubbed a hand over her face thinking, I'm sure I'd understand that if I was less tired, or does this count as hungover? But what she said was. "I trust your judgement."

By the time they made it to the right elevator Justina was feeling much more steady and had reclaimed her arm.

They got in and the elevator went out, although to Justina it felt like going down. The elevator paused when they reached level 1 but Dani punched in her code and it continued.

When the doors opened again, Justina saw a familiar hallway.

"I can find my way from here. Thank you both. For everything."

Noah glanced over startled. "You sure, Tina?"

"Yeah," Justina smothered her annoyance. "There's just two turns and then I'm back where I came in. Then I'll just have to dodge that engineer."

"Leo should be off shift right now, and Aamiina tends to favor the fore-engine room the way Leo favors the Aft. You don't need to worry about them."

"Oh, good." Justina let out a relieved sigh. "That'll make things easier. Well, good night then. Or... is it night?"

Dani shrugged and smiled, "It's a station, It's always night for someone."

Justina nodded, amused, "Fair enough. Good bye at any rate."

"Good bye." Dani gave her an impulsive one armed hug. "Safe travels."

Noah just waved.

The elevator door slid shut and Justina leaned against the wall for a moment with her eyes closed. Then, shaking out her head and arms, she continued on alone.

Justina turned the last corner and pulled up short. Leo was leaning against the wall by the door to the engine room. The blue cap was gone and his hair stuck out at odd angles like he'd been running his fingers through it. He still wore his uniform pants but had lost the smart jacket. His white sleeveless shirt revealed a complicated Celtic knot tattoo around and down his right arm. In his left hand he held a salt shaker. Around his wrist was an antique rosary bracelet with an oversized cross that she thought might be iron. On the ground by his feet was a half empty clear glass bottle.

"What be you?" Leo asked watching her intently without moving from his spot on the wall.

"I- what do you mean?"

"Are you Seelie or Unseelie? How did you find your way here? I checked the logs. You did not enter. The door never opened. There was no transporter activity. A shifter would not have left so easy, nor have let me see them once they got in. And I watched the security tapes. You just stepped out of the air. It glowed when you did. The air glowed. Just for a moment."

"Ummm-"

"Don't deny it!" He pushed away from the wall and took a slightly unsteady step toward her. "I slowed it down and enhanced the space behind you in the doorway three times. And I saw Underhill. For five frames. It was faint but I know what I saw. A forest underground. The lass confirmed there was something on the screen; It wasn't just my eyes playing tricks. You came from Underhill. I don't know how. I never believed my grannies old stories, I wish I remembered them better. But I cannot let you return and lead your people here. I will protect my home!"

As he spoke he popped the top off the salt shaker with his thumb and threw the whole thing in her face. She flinched and threw up an arm deflecting most of it, but she was a little too slow and some got in her eyes.

"God damn it!" She swore blinking furiously. "What the hell was that for?"

He flinched back and gripped the rosary tightly, knocking over the bottle forgotten on the floor behind him. The harsh fumes of strong cheap liquor filled the air making Justina's head spin. She swayed and braced herself against the wall. Emboldened by his apparent success with the salt, Leo stepped forward brandishing the iron cross like a shield.

"You are insane." She told him. "You realize that, right? Insane and drunk."

His mouth thinned but he didn't respond and didn't lower the rosary. There was a long tense silence. I'm in no shape for running around, Justina thought despairing. The engineer might be drunk but he was also clearly very strong and easily able to block most of the door without even trying. The fear he was failing to hide did nothing to reassure her.

Fear. He's afraid. Maybe I can use that somehow?

She forced herself to take a step toward him. He tensed but held his ground. As slow and non-threatening as she could manage, Justina reached out a hand and wrapped it around the iron cross.

"See?" She said, "I'm not a fairy." A strong whiff of the spilled liquor made her eyes cross and she swayed a little.

"I do not wish to fight you, Lady, just leave me and mine alone." He braced himself before the doorway but the whites showed all around his eyes.

"Well, which is it?" She demanded. "Do you want me to leave, or do you want me not to leave?"

He blinked, "Ah, I want you to leave but not to go back Underhill?"

"Is that a question?" She began edging slowly sideways.

"What? No!"

"Because you know this is a space station, right? There's not really anywhere I can go unless you let me through."

"I…" He mumbled and then fell silent for a moment, brow furrowed. She took advantage of his confusion to make a stumbling dive for the door of the engine room. She made it under his arm and intense relief filled her for a moment, until her chin struck cold metal and not soft moss.

Pain whited out her vision and the salty metallic taste of blood filled her mouth. When she blinked her eyes clear of tears Leo had stepped over her and was standing with his arms spread as if he could protect the entire room with just his body. She pushed herself painfully to her knees looking around in confusion. Her ears rang and her thoughts were foggy and disjointed.

From where she sat on the floor Leo loomed over her. So far he had been reluctant to engage her physically, but if it came to a one on one struggle she knew she would lose. Even if she had been in her best shape she would lose. She looked up and flinched when she met his eyes. He was watching her like you would a wild animal.

Justina took a breath and held up her hands. "Look," She began unsure what she was going to say, "I don't know-"

Leo seemed to come to a decision, raised his arms in the air, and spoke over her half shouting in an impressive baritone, "Grannie, god rest your soul, please help me! Send me the protection you promised me when I was a boy. I call upon your aid and that of your spirit sisters. Your sisters forged in your journeys and travels. I beg aid of Lady Isolde, from Orda of the ink, and of Mata Hari. Please Grannie, if you still look down upon me, help me protect my home!"

Justina couldn't help it; she began to giggle. It was like something from a terrible movie. But her laughter died with a squeak when his tattoo began to glow deep blue. It uncoiled from his arm twisting round and round, getting longer and longer. It moved like a snake, roiled like a coil of smoke, and swept back and forth. It was seeking.

She crab crawled backwards toward the door as quickly as she could. Her hands and arms ached, her feet scrabbled on the metal floor. She hardly noticed when the chill of metal under her palms became the soft give of moss, all her attention was riveted by the tattoo. It had stopped swaying and was pointing straight at her. It lashed out, whipping around her right arm. She screamed as she felt a burning pain where the tattoo tightened and roiled, tearing through her sleeve and into her skin.

Skipper slammed the door shut on it and instantly started to scream as well. The tattoo released her and tore back through the closed doorway leaving a ragged hole in the air that bled light. The glow of the stone walls went dark. Skipper's screams went on and on. The ground shook and tilted. The light from the ragged hole changed colors again and again as the walls pulsed brightly then flickered and faded irregularly in and out.

Justina crawled to where Skipper lay. She reached out for them and her hand found fur slick and dark with blood. She searched for a wound, something she could apply pressure to, something she could help, but she couldn't find the source of all that blood. The floor jerked sideways and she fell hard next to them.

"What's wrong?! What's happening? How can I help?"

"I don't know, Idon'tknow I have to get away! Eeeeeeeaaaah!"

The light flickered bright again for a moment and Justina saw blood dripping from Skippers ears, eyes, and nose. She cradled them to her chest trying to comfort them, not knowing what else to do.

There was a horrible crunching boom and they were thrown up into the air. Everything went dark. Justina curled around Skipper trying to protect them when they slammed back into the moss. The air was driven from her lungs as they landed. And then everything was silent and still and dark. Justina lay on her back in the moss struggling to breathe as Skipper whimpered into her shirt.