Chapter 1: Preparing for Launch
8:10 AM, Launch Day
Lobby Floor
Hotel Houston
Yasu stretched idly, the first of the Ultimates in her group to make it to the lobby. Many of them had already been taken to the launch site in different groups, and now, through a quirk of fate, she was part of the last such group to go.
"I do hope that shuttle bus gets here soon," Yasu Hiraoka murmured to herself, tapping her foot slightly as she checked the time.
After a few quiet minutes, a clanging sound started to pick up as a young man with bluish-green hair hurried into the lobby. He had small pieces of armor fastened over his outfit, including a large sword on a scabbard at his side. He stopped to take a breath as he looked around the room. "Oh, thank goodness. I had wanted to be the first to arrive, but the accursed jet-lag served to dash any hopes of that," he bemoaned to himself.
Taking a deep breath, the boy stood up and moved in front of the girl, giving a deep bow. "Though I suppose that losing the honor of being first to a fair maiden is certainly no ill fate! Be you well. I am glad to make your acquaintance. I am called the honorable Sir Miles Fraus, Ultimate Knight."
Yasu raised an eyebrow, looking Miles up and down as she took in his peculiar appearance. She felt almost plain in her pink shirt, crimson cardigan, and black skirt in comparison. "…Thank you. It's nice to meet you as well, Sir Miles. I'm Yasu Hiraoka, the Ultimate Lawyer."
She paused a moment, and then added, "I'm also afraid we aren't part of the first shuttle group. As it so happens, the others have all already departed. We're in the last group."
"..." Miles had been standing at attention with a polite smile. He held still for a moment as he processed what the taller girl had told him. Suddenly, he fell to one knee and let out a sob. "No! How could this have happened? Have I truly been laid low by the metal bird that brought me here? However could I sully my honor like this?"
A short girl with split-dyed hair and a fuzzy yellow and black striped sweater frowned, approaching the two with a concerned look. "Hey, hey, is everything okay? What's all this about honor and a metal bird?"
Miles' head shot up at the other girl's sudden arrival. He scrambled back to his feet and bowed deeply again. "Ah, please forgive my shameful display. I shouldn't be acting this way in the presence of you dear ladies."
Yasu looked off to the side, and briefly debated the merits of pretending not to know who Miles was. Instead, however, she gave a small sigh and smiled at the newcomer. "It's fine. He was just… having a moment. I take it you're an Ultimate like us?"
The girl nodded, her concern quickly replaced by a smile. "Yep! Yep! My name is Mitsuko Katou, and I'm the Ultimate Beekeeper! Nice to meet both of you!"
"An honor and a pleasure to meet you as well, Lady Katou. As I had just told Lady Hiraoka, I'm the Ultimate Knight, Sir Miles Fraus," the boy said as he moved back to standing at attention.
"Ooh, an actual knight?! That's actually super cool!" Mitsuko spun to face Yasu, her smile growing. "And who are you? I always love meeting new people!"
"I'm Yasu Hiraoka, the Ultimate Lawyer," she introduced herself again, still smiling at Mitsuko. "A real professional lawyer, mind you, not some ambulance chaser or anything. In fact, I have high hopes for establishing a good, new legal system in our new home, once we're settled there and all."
Miles nodded as he offered a large grin. "As just and noble a quest as I've ever heard! I could only hope that my own knowledge of tradition, skills and chivalry could assist."
As the three continued their chat, an older adult man in a suit approached them. "Good morning, all. Your shuttle is ready and packed with your things. If you're ready, we'll be taking you to the launch site."
Before long, the Ultimates soon saw the giant rocket and were parked just a short distance away. While surrounded by the various employees and security detail, space was given so the Ultimates wouldn't have to deal with the nearby crowd.
Mitsuko looked around at the area with wide eyes as the three stepped out of the shuttle. "This is so freaking cool! I can't believe we're actually here now!"
"My, this looks quite impressive," Yasu murmured, looking around the launch site with no small amount of awe. "Indeed, this whole venture feels so very much more… real, now. I suppose this is the last time we'll be seeing things from our planet, won't it?"
Miles did his best to keep his eyes off the ship and towards the ground. "Yes. Having to leave the loving embrace of Mother Earth for... yet an even larger mechanical contraption. The only salvation will be sleeping through it all."
"It's scary and unknown, but things should be just fine!" The Beekeeper smiled up at her two travel companions. "Besides, it means that we get to help make a new world!"
"This the last of them? It's about time. I think some of the onlookers are getting antsy, and I'd rather not have to act," a deep voice with a southern drawl called out. Ahead of the group was a security checkpoint with what looked like a cowboy standing guard. He tipped his hat up slightly and smirked, "Name's Clint Wayne, Ultimate Mercenary. Independent from the big groups if you're curious. You ever need a job done, you let me know."
"Oh, another Ultimate who's a fellow man-at-arms! It is good to meet you, Lord Wayne," Miles said as his mood clearly brightened a little.
"It's nice to meet you," Yasu echoed, giving a friendly nod. "And yes, we should be the last group arriving here. Apologies for any delay."
Clint waved a hand casually, "Far as I'm concerned, ya'll aren't late. Hell, if I weren't asked to shore up security, I'd probably have been with ya back at the hotel."
"Well, we appreciate you staying outside to wait for us!" Mitsuko started to bounce in place, excitement radiating off of her. "Are you excited for this too, Clint?"
"I'm not so sure excited is the exact word I'd use for it, but after the last few years I am looking forward to getting a fresh start of sorts," the mercenary remarked before chuckling, "I'll probably get excited once this show gets on the road and we're actually on our way though."
"Contrary to the saying, I believe I am looking forward to the destination more than the journey," the Knight added as he rested a hand on the hilt of his sword. "Not to say I doubt the security here, but do you know if they require another willing hand? I think I'll take any excuse to not have to step into the vessel just yet."
"We haven't had any real trouble so far. Most of the civilians that get a little too close back off after they see I'm armed," Clint noted as he shifted his arm, the poncho he wore over his shirt shifting with it to reveal the holstered revolver hanging from his hip. He sighed, "But I can tell the crowd is getting a bit restless. The longer it takes for things to get going, the more likely someone will do something drastic to try and get on, not that I can necessarily blame them. That said, I wouldn't mind the company if you wanted to wait around here with me."
"Well, I think I'll just go inside the ship and have a look around," Yasu said, looking toward the main entrance with keen interest. "What about you, Mitsuko?"
"Ooh, definitely!" The Beekeeper started to speed walk towards the ship. "I want to see if there's a bee colony or anything on here!"
"Then I wish you both a good time. I believe I will help take up the guard. It only feels right as a true knight," Miles explained, offering a brief wave.
Clint nodded to the two girls as they passed by, "Take care now."
10:37 AM, Launch Day
Observation Deck, 2nd Floor
ISS Amerigo
The Observation Deck of the Amerigo was a rather spacious and posh-looking area, every corner filled with sleek, shiny chrome that almost hurt to look at under the glaring bright lights illuminating the room. A bar took up one main section of the room, with rows of alcohol bottles lined up for future use, while a few different types of chairs and couches were scattered through the room to lounge about in. Off to the south end of the room was a large viewing area, with a wide window that offered the viewer a breathtaking view of open space… or would, if the ship weren't still on the launching platform. Instead, a view of the landscape surrounding the platform was available.
Finally, a balcony opened up along the northern wall that overlooked the spacious dining hall below the observation deck. Although for the time being, the dining hall was being used as a gathering hall for most of the colonists. It was there that the architect of the whole ship and project was supposed to be giving a grandiose speech.
The elevator that led up to the observation deck opened up at that moment, and Marvin Guster, the Ultimate Tech Pioneer, strode into the room.
"Ladies and gentlemen, good… morning…" Marvin began, prepared to launch into a formal introduction… but he trailed off, noticing that only four other people were in the room instead of the fifteen other Ultimates he was expecting. "Oh. Well. I… thought there'd be more of you in here."
A much taller man softly chuckled as he gestured back towards the door Marvin had just entered from. "Since you gave the rest of us a free run on the ship, most others decided to take the invite. I have to admit, I'm itching to get a look at the control center. Not that I've ever flown anything like this before, " he admitted as he ran a hand through his short dull brown hair.
"But this is the meet and greet, right? My name is Inaba Masaki, Ultimate Pilot. Happy to meet you all."
A person dressed in a rather eccentric outfit smiled at the group. "Oh! If we're introducing ourselves, I can go next! My name is Haru Hayakawa, and I'm the Ultimate Linguist!" Their eyes bounced around the room at the men before letting out a nervous laugh. "Sorry, that was probably a bit loud. I'm just so excited to get to be a part of this!"
"Tell me about it! I'm actually kinda glad it's just a small few of us... Don't know how I'd do if I had to be in the big crowd out there," said a girl wearing handmade leather clothing. She was looking out the window, down towards the large assembled crowd of soon-to-be colonists. She quickly turned back to the assembled group with a wide smile. "Oh right, I'm the Ultimate Hunter, Tellan Fuyuse! Hi!"
A lanky, well-dressed young man shook his head with an amused look on his face. He cleared his throat before greeting, "Guten Tag, I am Adrian Geiger. I am called the Ultimate Maestro, though I wonder if that is enough for me to be here."
"Heh, I don't think you have much to worry about. You must have been chosen for a reason," Inaba said. "Besides, not like whatever planet we go to will have planes for me to fly. I'm sure you'll find some other stuff you can help everyone with."
Marvin smiled at them all, overcoming his brief surprise as he straightened out his blue blazer and the white T-shirt he wore underneath it. Both clashed rather noticeably with the somewhat garish-looking orange ascot the short man wore.
"And as you may all already know, I am Marvin Guster, the Ultimate Tech Pioneer. I welcome you all to the ISS Amerigo, the first colony ship of its kind created by mankind! Designed and built by my company, of course. It's all so very exciting to be here with you all today… even if it's not as many as I had anticipated. I'll have more time to get to know the other Ultimates once we reach our destination, I'm sure."
Haru nodded, making their way over to the window. "Wow! That's a whole lot of people down there! And there will be a lot of people on this ship, too, right?"
"I would certainly hope so if the plan is to colonize a new planet. It will take people of all kinds for us even to survive, let alone thrive," Adrian mused. After a moment's contemplation, he said, "Oh, apologies, I'm not trying to make it sound like we're doomed from the get-go. If anything, the fact we're about to go through with it means we must have a good chance."
"Surviving and thriving are what I'm all about! In fact, I bet I'll be outliving all of you city folk!" Tellan challenged as she rested her hands on her hips.
Inaba sighed as he turned away from the girl. "I don't think that's the kind of thing you want to start this whole venture off with. Though since I'm not a 'city folk,' maybe I'll be just fine," he added with a slight smile.
"Oh, there's going to be all sorts of people on this ship," Marvin assured them, a dazzling grin on his lips. "My company worked with the project investors to thoroughly screen and vet everyone coming aboard! We'll have all sorts. Farmers, architects, survivalists, hunters, soldiers, everything it takes to set up a functioning colony."
"Isn't there an Ultimate Dominatrix or something?" Haru questioned, looking at Adrian with a quizzical look. "I'm not knocking the person's talent, but how does knowing how to give orders help?" They paused for a moment before considering it. "Actually... maybe she'd be the best to be here. She'd know how to whip people into shape." The Linguist chuckled at their own pun.
Adrian visibly flinched and turned away, a hand to his chin as he mused to himself, "Well, that does make me feel a bit better about my own admission here."
"No kidding, but cool to know you guys were open-minded about who you picked. Means we must be the best of the best," the Pilot added as he adjusted the collar of his flight suit.
"Yes, yes, we have all sorts on here. No one but the best was chosen for this voyage!" Marvin reiterated, looking off to the side momentarily before giving them all another smile.
"Good, then I can prove I am the best of the best of the best!" Tellan said with a wide grin. Inaba rolled his eyes as the Hunter giggled to herself.
"Anyway, are you going to wait for everyone else before we get this whole thing started?" Inaba asked the Tech Pioneer.
"No, no, I should probably get things going," Marvin admitted with a sigh, looking through the near-empty room again with a slight look of annoyance. "The people down below are liable to get restless if I don't start the speech soon, so best get it over with."
"Yes, probably for the best," Adrian agreed, shrugging. "I've learned from my own experiences that crowds can get a bit, well, rowdy if the 'main attraction,' as it were, gets held up for too long."
"Mm, yes. Still, you're all welcome to stay and watch if you'd like!" Marvin offered a moment later. "I don't expect anyone to come out onto the balcony with me. And lucky for us, the windows up here are tinted, so no one below will know the rest of the Ultimates have already scurried off into the rest of the ship."
Haru chuckled a bit as they glanced down at the crowd again. "This is going to be so cool! I'm so excited to meet everyone else!"
The Pilot smiled as he looked toward the door to the balcony. "Definitely agree. I think I'll take you up on that, Marvin, I wouldn't mind getting some of my last breaths of Earth's air while I can."
"I'm going to go start meeting the others now! Good luck with the speech. Too many people for me," Tellan explained with a shrug.
"I believe I shall go exploring as well. I'm quite curious to see all that this ship has in store. We'll be asleep for god knows how long, so may as well look through it now, yes?" Adrian commented.
"Well, I'll see some of you later then," Marvin replied, giving them a small wave, before looking back toward the Pilot. "Well, shall we?"
"This is your craft, lead the way," Inaba nodded. He gave one last glance towards the Linguist. "What about you, Haru? You going to stick around?"
"Nope! I'm gonna explore and meet everyone else!" Haru chirped before moving to the door. "I'll see you all later for the speech! Bye!"
"I'll see you all later," Marvin said, waving goodbye to the others as they left. Then, he nodded at Inaba and walked out the door onto the balcony with him. Below, the dining hall was packed with the future colonists, many of whom cheered as they stepped into view.
"Hello, and welcome, everyone! I'm so glad to see you all here!" Marvin declared, stepping up to a microphone. "What a momentous day this is for us and for all of Humanity in general! Today marks the beginning of a new era in human history, a momentous step forward in the name of progress and hope! A new paradise awaits us all, out in the stars…"
11:14 AM, Launch Day
Lounge, 3rd Floor
ISS Amerigo
Nyjah hummed to himself lightly as he skateboarded through the halls of the Amerigo. After passing through several empty hallways, he finally came across an actual room. He skidded to a stop, grabbing his board as he poked his head inside.
"Anyone in here?" He called out.
"Ooh, there sure is. Would love to be around anyone besides little Miss Sunshine here," one of the two people in the room answered. They were wearing much more makeup and gothic clothing than the other person.
The other light, auburn-haired woman rolled her eyes and quickly glanced at Nyjah. "Like you're such a pleasant person to be around."
The goth scoffed, turning away from the girl. "Don't be such a pain in my dick. Besides, there's a hot beefcake here now!"
Nyjah looked back and forth between the two, tilting his head for a moment before he gave them both a beaming smile. "Well, it's nice to meet you guys! I'm Nyjah Connolly, the Ultimate Olympian."
The girl nodded before holding out a hand for the Olympian. "Hello, I'm Miracle Alexandria, but I insist you call me Mia. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"I see how it is. No love for my femboy ass, huh?" The goth teased towards Mia. "But since it's introduction time, I'm the fatherfuckin' Jingai Senso, Ultimate Detective and fashionista extraordinaire!"
"Well, it's nice to meet you both!" Nyjah reiterated, reaching over to shake Miracle's hand. He raised an eyebrow ever so slightly at Jingai's tone but seemed to brush it off quickly enough.
He walked further into the room, his eyes glancing around as he entered the lounge area. The room was lavishly decorated with comfy couches arranged around each other. Off to one corner was a billiard table with pool cues mounted on the nearby wall, as well as a full bar set up in the back of the room.
Nyjah sighed for a moment before looking back towards the others. "Well, this is a pretty nice place to relax. Hope we have some time to enjoy it once we reach our destination."
"Kind of weird that they have this if we're all supposed to be asleep," Jingai briefly mused as he took a moment to look over the room again. He smiled as he looked over at Nyjah and moved beside him. "But enough about all that, what's your sport, big guy? You're basically the Ultimate Ultimate as an Olympian, right?"
Mia gave a small smile to the Olympian, following behind him. "It is rather impressive that your talent is so broad. We will definitely be in safe hands with you on the ship."
"Well, I'm experienced in all the major Olympic sports and a few ones outside the main games," Nyjah replied, a small smile on his face. "But I'd say I'm most experienced in skateboarding and track and field. Won a lot of medals in those! Also fairly experienced with snowboarding, hurdles, and a little ice-skating too. But really, skateboarding was the one I had the most fun with."
"Well shit, now I just feel like a lazy bitch," Jingai mused as he moved back to take a seat on the sofa and cross a leg. "How did you even find time to learn that, I think I got winded just thinking of all that work. Cuz that's not really how I want to end up all sore and sweaty."
"Well, it's just been something I've always been interested in. My parents were Olympic athletes, so you could almost say it was in my blood. I… didn't get the chance to compete before the Tragedy, but I was a part of the first Games held after things settled down," he explained.
"That must have been quite the experience. I mean, the Olympics are always a spectacle, but the first one after the Tragedy must have been quite the event," Mia remarked before she asked, "Were you exploring the ship a bit before, Nyjah? I haven't gotten a chance yet, so I'm wondering if there's anything interesting to be found here."
Nyjah nodded, giving another smile as he remarked, "I was! Haven't been doing it too long, though. Some rooms and sections are still locked off; maybe they're staff areas only? But I did get a peek into the ship's bridge compartment. That place looked pretty interesting."
"I can definitely agree with that," a lower feminine voice responded. The three glanced over at the doorway to see a taller woman with wheat blonde hair pulled into a fishtail braid, a pastel purple sundress, a thin white sweater tied under her chest, and white heels adorning her body. She flashed a smile at the three. "Glad to see I finally came across a few others. I thought I got lost."
"Since we're the only ones allowed in yet, I'd be pretty fucking surprised if you were finding any real crowds," the Detective said playfully, bouncing their own high-heeled boot.
The woman chuckled a bit as she stepped into the observation deck. "That's definitely the truth. I'm not opposed to the ship being empty at the moment, but having people around would make it easier to navigate this place." The blonde sat herself down beside Jin, crossing her legs. "Anyways, might as well introduce myself. I'm Tiana Blake, and -"
"Oh, so you're the fabled Dominatrix!" Jingai's eyes lit up as he looked over the blonde. He started to smirk as he turned towards her. "Well now, I'm glad to see my new favorite person on this journey!"
"Huh, so you're the Ultimate Dominatrix? I'd heard someone with that Talent was on board the ship," Nyjah commented, before glancing over at Jin curiously. "How'd you know who she was? Don't think I ever caught her name before coming here."
The Detective sighed as he reached over and gently pat the Olympian's arm. "Oh honey, I didn't know her name either. But beside her being such a babe, she's carrying a riding crop. So chances are she's into something kinky. Especially since those heels aren't for riding... well not for horse riding," Jin explained with a wink.
Mia rolled her eyes slightly as she said, "Crassness aside, seems you earned your title at least. To piece that together so quickly, you must be quite the detective. I trust you won't pry into our private business that much however?"
"Can't imagine I'll really give a shit. Unless I get invited into that private business," Jin answered with a small shrug of their shoulders.
Tiana gave a small smirk. "Well, I may have to give you an invite then." She remained stoic for a moment before snickering. "Joking, joking!" After a moment, she let out a sigh. "In all seriousness, I am intrigued by your talent. What's your name?"
Jingai shifted a little in his seat as he smiled. "Well, I'm the Ultimate Detective, smarter than Sherlock Holmes while being a sexier bitch than Irene Adler, Jingai Senso!"
"That's quite the boast," Nyjah said, shaking his head as he chuckled. "Well, Tiana, it's nice to meet you! I'm Nyjah Connolly, the Ultimate Olympian. I hope we get along!"
"And I am Miracle Alexandria, the Ultimate Opera Singer. But please, call me Mia," the Opera Singer introduced herself.
Tiana gave a nod and a smile. As she took in the room from her seat, her eyes fell onto the bar. "Oh, I'm going to have fun with that. I can make a mean drink."
"Oh, well, now we're talking! Time to start celebrating leaving this dirt ball the right fucking way!" Jin cheered. He leaned over, lightly pressing against Nyjah's side. "What do you say, big guy? Bet you can hold your shit pretty well."
"Ah..." Nyjah grimaced and rubbed the back of his head, inching away ever so slightly. "Sorry, alcohol's not really my thing. You guys are welcome to it, as long as it's all done responsibly. But I'm just… not really interested."
Jingai was quiet momentarily as he pulled away, closely watching the taller man before moving to stand up. He moved in front of Tiana and offered her his arm. "Well, I could definitely use a drink before we get put on ice. Besides, I'm sure you're just the person I can trust to fuck me up... responsibly."
The Dominatrix simply intertwined her arm with Jin's once she stood up, standing a fair few inches above the Detective. She turned her focus to the Olympian and shot him an understanding look. "I was always good about cutting people off before they got hurt. I can whip you up a mocktail if you'd like, big guy." She then looked back at Mia. "Any drink requests for you?"
"Thank you. Maybe just something to take the edge off. I don't know about anyone else, but I'm admittedly a bit wary of what we're about to do," Mia stated before adding, "But nothing too intense either. Who knows how being drunk would affect us when we're frozen."
"Eh, this whole thing is no more worrying than any given day trying to scrape by back during the Tragedy," Jin said as he sat at the bar and leaned onto the counter.
"I'm good, but thank you," Nyjah demurred, getting up himself. "In fact, I think I might go explore around a bit more. May as well sightsee while I can."
Mia gave the Olympian a sympathetic smile and said, "It may not mean much when we're on ice, but we'll see you later, I hope."
1:04 PM, Launch Day
Lab, 2nd Floor
ISS Amerigo
Sydney sighed as she closed a set of cabinet doors. She took a moment to glance around the large room again. Countless high-end pieces of equipment, blank notebooks, and writing instruments filled the different countertops and each of the cabinets she'd searched so far. "Come on, are there really none in here?" the woman muttered to herself as she adjusted her torn white lab coat. She moved over to the nearby counter and pulled open a drawer to start sifting through it.
The door to the lab opened a moment later, and a woman poked her head in. Her eyes seemed to light up as she caught sight of Sydney and fully stepped into the room.
"Hello there!" she greeted, smiling at her as she waved. "You're another Ultimate, right? It's nice to meet you! I'm Kasumi Kamukura, the Ultimate Historian."
With a soft groan, Sydney glanced over her shoulder, locking eyes with the blue-haired girl with an icy stare. She was quiet for a moment before turning around towards the other woman. She crossed her arms, framing the broken heart decal on her shirt. "Yeah, guess I am an Ultimate. I'm Sydney, and I'm a surgeon."
"Well, it's nice to meet you, Sydney!" Kasumi chirped in response, a wide, beaming smile on her face. She clasped her hands together over her lap, either ignorant of Sydney's standoffish attitude or deliberately choosing to ignore it.
"So, are you looking for something?" she continued on, glancing around the lab curiously. "Maybe I can help!"
"I'm mostly just looking around, seeing what there is. However, I'd love to find some scalpels if I can find them. They're important to my job, after all," Sydney mused as she started to smirk. Not waiting for a reply, she moved back to the drawer she'd opened before and began sorting through it again.
"Hm, they might have locked up items like that in advance. I know our host is supposed to be taking security pretty seriously…" Kasumi mused, tapping a finger against her chin.
Her ahoge, which had stayed half-wilted on top of her head, seemed to straighten out of its own free will, in conjunction with Kasumi getting a determined look, pumping her fist into the air. "But! I'm willing to help you look. Couldn't hurt to look, right?"
With that said, Kasumi walked over to the nearest cabinet and opened it up.
"Yeah, well, the whole point of this pain in the ass rocket is hope or whatever, so I'm not going to leave any stones unturned," Sydney said as she slammed the drawer closed.
Her eyes widened a little as she noticed the cupboard underneath it was slightly ajar. Carefully, she crouched down and pulled it open with a scowl starting to form. As soon as she could peer inside, she did her best to stifle a sound in her throat as she shot back a little. "What the fuck?"
Inside was a sharply dressed young man, who, after being discovered, worked to scramble out of the storage space and stand upright. He cleared his throat before acknowledging the others, "Greetings. I am John Abbott. I overheard you talking about being Ultimates, and I am the Ultimate Thanatologist. Or in layman's terms, I am one who studies death."
Regarding Sydney for a moment, he held a couple of scalpels out to the surgeon, "You were looking for some scalpels, yes? I was looking for spares in case I misplaced my personal one, but I feel they would be better served in your hands than mine."
The Ultimate Surgeon was dumbfounded momentarily as she started reaching for the blades. "Huh? Oh, righ- No, wait, what the fuck were you doing in there!?" She called out as she glared at the strange man.
"Hm? Ah, apologies, you understandably weren't expecting anyone in there. I was curious what was available to us and I was taking inventory, much the same as you, I believe," John said as he retrieved a small notebook from his suit pocket and made to pass it to Sydney. "Or did you mean why was I in there instead of taking stock from outside? In that case, I see better in the dark, so it was just easier for me."
"Huh,"' Kasumi simply said, raising an eyebrow. She blinked rapidly, apparently just as dumbfounded as Sydney was. Then, she shook her head slightly and smiled as she approached the odd man.
"Well, it's nice to meet you as well, John!" she declared with a beaming smile. "That was, ah, quite the entrance there. You must be quite dextrous too, if you managed to squeeze yourself inside of there."
John turned his attention to the other girl and gave a slight nod in response, "It is nice to meet you as well, Kasumi. As for the cupboard, well, it was a bit cramped, but I managed. It was my curiosity more than anything that led me in there." The Thanatologist tilted his head as he mused to himself, "Though that does make me think, will the staff let me examine some of the workings of the ship? There's so much I could learn just from observing it in action."
"Since they let us roam around on our own, they probably would," Sydney muttered as she tucked the small packet of scalpels into her coat pocket. She also began to thumb through the notebook as well. As she read through it, she glanced around, seeing if she could locate the listed items herself. "Eh, nothing too out of the ordinary in here, I guess. Looks like they're well stocked on chemicals too. Probably since who knows what we'll find when we get to our destination."
"That makes sense. I'm pretty sure there's a whole regiment of robotic foot-soldiers down in one of the cargo bays, likely to protect us from any potentially hostile native wildlife," Kasumi speculated, looking rather intrigued at the thought. "Hm, it makes me wonder if we'll discover any truly alien, sentient life at our destination. In that case, the ship's namesake certainly would have far more meaning to it. Though if War of the Worlds taught me anything, we might be in even more danger from alien germs..."
She tilted her head, considering the matter as she crossed her arms. "Well! I guess that's why we have you two around, and other similar experts."
"Statistically speaking, any alien lifeforms we'd find would more likely be single-celled. Takes a long time to evolve past that," Sydney answered as she closed the notebook and set it down on a table near the Thanatologist.
John recovered his notebook, sliding it back into the pocket of his suit jacket before adjusting the suspenders that were underneath the garment. "Hm, well, we should take care upon our arrival in any case. We won't have any backup coming, so to speak, so we'll need to make do with what we have," John remarked before he asked, "I know we have a destination in mind, but do we know anything about it? Aside from it being hospitable, that much is clear."
"Couldn't tell you, our gracious hosts have been pretty hush-hush on that one. Maybe they have a place, or maybe this is an overly elaborate plan to steal our organs. Either way, this dirt ball isn't going to be my problem for much longer," the Surgeon said as she offered a half-hearted shrug.
"I haven't heard much of anything either," Kasumi replied, giving a simple shrug. "But! I'm sure wherever we end up will be a most wonderful place! In fact, I eagerly look forward to chronicling the history of our new home."
John fished a golden pocket watch out of one of the other pockets of his suit and upon examining the time, he noted, "Well, it seems that speech they're putting on for the public has already started, but I suppose I'll head over and catch what's left of it. Maybe I can glean a little more information on our destination from it. I suppose I will see you around the ship. Farewell." The Thanatologist offered a slight bow to the two women before making to exit the lab.
"Yeah, I'm getting out of here too. Even this was a bit too social for my liking," Sydney muttered as she unceremoniously strolled out of the lab with her hands in her pockets.
Kasumi stared off after the two of them for a few moments, idly tapping her chin again. That small smile remained fixed as she turned over her new companions in her mind. "Well, now, there are certainly some interesting people here. I can't wait to spend some more time with them..."
AN
And the story (finally) starts! Life sure likes to kick you in the ass, huh? I hope the next one comes out faster, but who knows. Thanks to Nico for beta reading, and I hope you enjoyed it and have a good day!