OUTWORLD: Dark Planet

OUTWORLD: Dark Planet Part 6

They surrounded her, tall glowing figures, chanting something she couldn't understand. The sound rattled though her, and she flinched from it, light blinding her as she was becoming deaf. Both reached a crescendo as her senses were overloaded –

Doreen awoke and sat straight up, her eyes battered by stark white light. "Oh," she moaned. "Oh, I'm so sick of light." She blinked and rubbed her eyes, clearing them of sleep gunk and easing the discomfort as they adjusted. "Where am I?"

She looked about, recognizing the gentle hum of machinery and the faint smell of antiseptic, not to mention the cot she was lying on, and realized she was in a medlab. She wasn't in that damn suit anymore, but she still had on her shirt and cargo pants, not to mention a pretty sweaty pair of socks; her boots were missing.

Past her feet sat a tallish, dark shape, which her focusing eyes revealed to be Rodolfo Valance. He grinned as she noticed him. "Good morning, sunshine."

Doreen groaned. "Is it morning?"

"Hard to tell around these parts," Rodolfo said. "How do you feel, Mundie?"

"Like I've been kicked by a Wooang buffalo," Doreen mumbled.

"Well, that's good," Rodolfo snorted. "At least you're awake."

"How long was I out?" Doreen asked him, sitting up. "I mean, I remember what happened, but everything after that..."

"We got you back to the ship and the medic checked you out," Rodolfo said. "You're fine, by the way. You might be in shock, though."

"That's a pretty fair diagnosis." Doreen felt the muzzy, trembling sensation of anxiety return. She swung her legs out over the side of the cot and massaged her aching head with her paws. A series of violently cut images came back to her, of that alien thing attacking her. "You saved me." She grinned a wide Jackal grin. "Thanks for the save, boss man."

"Any time, Doreen," Rodolfo told her. "I'm team leader, remember? I can't lead a team if there's no team to lead. You, Hachi and Oliver are my responsibility."

Doreen chuckled. "Oliver? Really?"

"Afraid so," Rodolfo admitted.

Doreen shook her head. "I thought I was dead. I just lost it. I've never felt that terrified. Ever." She wrung her paws nervously and forced herself to stop shaking. "Plus, that thing didn't look like something we'd see at the local spacers' bar."

Rodolfo nodded. "I see what you're getting at. Though it did behave like it'd had too many Polestar Malts." His attempt at humour was sorely lost on Doreen. "I know. It looked alien."

Doreen nodded. "I know aliens aren't anything new. So far, we've run into the Rooveks..."

"And the Voisard," Rodolfo amended.

"...but none of them ever tried to kill me," Doreen sighed. She stood, the deck rough on her socked feet. "So, how long was I out?"

"About four hours," Rodolfo told her.

"Not long enough."

Rodolfo gave her a sympathetic look. "Do you need some more time?"

"No, it's okay," Doreen mumbled. "Where are my boots?"

"By the bed."

"Great." Doreen pulled them on and swept some offending hair out of her eyes, although on the whole her appearance wasn't a current concern. "So, what do we do now?"

"Well, Hayes wants to know what you saw down there," Rodolfo said. "Fancy giving everyone some story time?"

"We don't need to," Doreen replied. "I've got it all on my suit recorder." She suddenly remembered that she hadn't stopped the thing recording after she'd turned it on. It would contain everything.