XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"You're still wearing that dirty red headband!" He whispered furiously.
"So?!" She snapped back. "Water wasn't running at the workshop so I found the next cleanest thing and put it over my forehead."
"I don't even want to know what you consider clean." He muttered.
"Oh shut it you…"
"Where's Adri?" Dominic asked Sarah quietly as he silently blended into the crowd that had formed at the shuttle bay.
Sarah raised an eyebrow. "I thought he was with you!" She whispered.
"Wha-?!" Dominic gasped, exasperated. "I didn't see him after all of us departed."
"That's strange…" Sarah said, tilting her head which what she usually did when in thought. "He's always punctual… Unlike someone else I know."
"Hey." Dominic replied. "I am here, aren't I?"
"And if I hadn't contacted you through the Comm-Link, you probably would have been even later than you are now." Sarah snapped.
"Touché."
Dominic looked around them and started to take notice of the crowd. It was rather big and was growing in size. It ranged from small children to adults. Some were observers, gazing at the shuttle that occasionally made a stop at the Colony. Others were part of the departure, ready to move on from the Frontier and back to wherever they came from. Dominic had seen the crowds by the shuttle bay from time to time but they usually weren't this big.
"Any idea why there is such an audience today?" Dominic quietly asked, leaning towards Sarah.
"Beats me." Sarah said, shrugging her shoulders. "I know a lot of people in the Colony, but these aren't familiar faces."
"Could be people you just don't know…" Dominic suggested.
"Could be…" Sarah replied. "But what are the odds of that? The shuttle rarely comes in on a weekly basis and usually doesn't carry any passengers. Only supplies for the colony, that's it."
Dominic thought for a moment. "Yeah… that's kind of strange…"
"What's strange?" A voice said, behind them.
Both Sarah and Dominic turned around and saw Hyun standing there, luggage in hand. He had a smile on his face. It seemed rather forced.
"Hyun!" Sarah exclaimed as she quickly went up to him and hugged him.
"Sarah. Can't… breathe." Hyun said with a muffled voice as Sarah hugged him tighter.
"Oop!" Sarah said, letting go of Hyun. "Sorry! Sorry!"
Hyun set down one bag and rubbed his neck. "I never took you as a touchy-feely type… That was one hell of a hug."
"I'm not Hyun…" Sarah said adamantly. "That was just…"
"A good-bye hug basically." Hyun said, picking up the bag once again, walking towards landing platform. Dominic and Sarah followed.
"No! I-I mean yes! I-I… God damn, I'm so bad at this…" Sarah said, walking.
Hyun laughed as he approached the shuttle. "No you aren't. It was fine. I couldn't have asked for more."
"But it's not enou-"
"Sarah. Look at me." Hyun said. "I said I'm fine with it. Stop beating yourself up because of it… I never thought you were the fidgety type…"
"I'm not Hyun."
Hyun just rolled his eyes, chuckling. He then faced Dominic. There was a slight awkward silence.
"So…" Hyun said, breaking the silence. "This is good bye then… isn't it?"
"Never thought the day would come…" Dominic said. "Until today of course, but… yeah… it is…"
"Neither did I…" Hyun said, looking back out at the sky. "Never thought that I'd one day say good-bye to this God-Forsaken middle of nowhere but here I am."
"It was our God-Forsaken middle of nowhere." Dominic said, bring both Hyun and Sarah closer.
"Yeah." Hyun said, sniffing. "It was."
"And now..." Dominic said. "It won't be the same without you."
A tear rolled down Hyun's face. "Oh stop it... You guys will forget that I moved away... give it a couple weeks."
Dominic laughed as he scruffled Hyun's hair. Sarah just smiled.
"By the way, Dom, where the heck is Adri?" Hyun asked, looking around.
"I dunno. I thought I told him to-"
"You thought you told me to what?" A voice said.
It came from within the shuttle.
Soon, Adrian popped his head out from the shuttle door, staring at Dominic and everyone else strangely. "What?"
"What are you- why are- How the heck-" Dominic tried to say, tongue tied.
"Relax Dom." Adrian said, strolling out. "Just admiring the schematics of the new shuttle model. It's quite impressive."
"Well..." Hyun said, "Now that we're all here, I guess that this is officially good-bye..."
They all nodded, their faces slightly fallen.
Hyun walked towards the shuttle door as it hissed open. He set his bags inside and came back outside as other passengers started to pour into the spacecraft. Soon, everyone was inside and he stood alone by the doorway.
"Be sure to visit often Hyun." Dominic said, choking back the tears.
Hyun felt the same. "Of course I will. Just wait. One day, I'll get my own ship and I'll come back. It'll be just like old times again!"
Dominic sighed. "Just like old times."
Hyun nodded. "Yup."
Sarah walked up to Hyun and threw him another hug. Hyun hugged back. Dominic could make out the words that Hyun said. "I'll miss you."
As Sarah let go, she quickly dabbed her eyes with her work sleeves. Hyun slightly looked away, trying to hide his own tears.
Adrian then walked up to him. He held out his hand. Instead of being met with a hand shake, Hyun hugged him in a fashion that would make even Sarah surprised.
"You little rascal..." Hyun said, ruffling through Adrian's hair. "I'm gonna miss you so much."
Adrian tried nodding. He couldn't.
Hyun chuckled as he let Adrian go. He looked at Sarah one last time and then towards Dominic.
"Take care of her for me."
Dominic sighed and nodded. " Of course I will."
"Thanks..." Hyun said, sighing. "I-I appreciate it..."
"You should probably get going." Dominic said, pointing towards the shuttle.
"Oh, yeah. You're right." Hyun said turning.
The shuttle's ignition started and started to rise up. Hyun remained in the doorway as the lower hatch closed. He looked back down at Dominic who looked back up at him.
"I guess I'll see you later... Dom." Hyun said, his voice cracking.
Dominic nodded, holding back his pent up emotions. He waved.
Hyun waved back and soon, the doors on the door-hatch closed and Dominic could see Hyun no more.
He turned around and swallowed everything held in his throat. He sighed.
"Hey." Sarah said softly, grabbing Dominic's arm. "You okay?"
Dominic let out a small laugh. "I could ask the same to you as well... but, yeah... I guess... I'm fine..."
"Let's go back home." Adrian said, jumping off the landing platform. "Dad'll probably be waiting for us."
"Yeah.. you're probably rig-"
"Hey!" A member of the crowd exclaimed. "What the hell is that?!"
Dominic turned around and saw where the man was pointing at in the sky. He gasped.
It was the biggest space vessel that he had ever seen in his entire lifetime. It had appeared out of nowhere and now, it was here.
"What the hell is going?!" Another man yelled.
"I don't know! Do you?!"
"I just asked you, you idiot!"
The crowd of maybe sixty or seventy people turned into a clamboring riot. People were confused. Some were scared.
But something didn't sit right with Dominic. He saw the recently taken-off shuttle that Hyun was in. And it was dangerously close the massive spacecraft. He then saw a metal shaft extend from the vessel. It was pointing to something.
Right towards the small shuttle.
Oh no...
There was a deafening whirring sound as the extended barrel from the spacecraft began to light-up bright blue. Then, in a split-second, the charged energy discharged. It all happened so fast. Dominic couldn't even see the shuttle being blown to pieces. All he heard was a deafening explosion and a cloud of fire. No debris fell from the sky.
And now, the crowd was in utter panic. They all ran in many directions, trying to get away. Dominic looked at Sarah with pale face. He felt his heart drop to his feet. His legs felt like rubber. He couldn't breathe right. His eyesight became fuzzy. He could see Sarah but he couldn't see Adrian... Couldn't see Adrian...
WHERE IS ADRIAN?!
"Sarah! Where is Adrian?!" Dominic asked, voice panicky.
"I-I... I don't know Dom!" She said, exasperated, looking all around.
"This isn't happening... This isn't happening... Oh my God, this isn't happeni-"
"The main ship has just let out three drop ships!" The man from earlier said. "They're heading this way! GO! EVERYONE MOVE!"
Everyone began to run like mad down the street, away from the dropships. Dominic felt his legs give way as he fell to the ground, unable to comprehend what was taking place.
"DOM!" Sarah said. "We have to move!"
She tried pulling him up but he was dead weight. She couldn't make him budge.
"What is going on..." Dominic said, continuously repeating to himself.
He then felt himself being lifted up and carried on someone's back. He saw the Brown-Black colors and an insignia emblazoned onto the clothing of the person who was carrying him.
"Dominic, buddy." The person carrying him said. "You alright?"
Dominic looked at this rescuer.
The young man had Hyun's face.
It was Hyun's brother.
"Sh-Shin..."
And Dominic passed out.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
