Lost in Space - OC insert

"DO NOT MANUALLY ADJUST HEAT PAST RED ZONE."

To try and fix her mysterious fuel disappearance problem, Saffron headed down to the fuel tanks. Her movement going down the ladder was slow, thanks to her bruised, possibly cracked ribs.

When she got to the bottom, she looked around the dimly lit maintenance room. She could hardly see anything because of the Jupiter-wide power outage. She could just barely make out the exposed wires that lined the room. The oil dripping from frayed wiring created a haunted ambiance that sent shivers down her spine.

Saffron dug at the toolbelt around her waist and felt for her mini flashlight. She clicked it on and waited a second for her eyes to adjust to the sudden light. When she could make out her surroundings, she froze. She could've sworn she saw movement in the corner of her eye. She hesitantly ignored it, thinking her concussion was starting to affect her eyesight. However as she walked toward her fuel tanks, she kept her body rigid and on edge.

The fuel tanks weren't much to look at, and if they were she wouldn't have known. Saffron liked to dabble in engineering, but more robotics than mechanic work.

Saffron placed her hands on her hips in confusion as she stared at the tanks. She checked her wrist device and watched as the fuel reserves ticked down to 57%. She sighed in defeat. This is not going well. She was about to turn and leave the darkroom when she felt something brush up against her leg.

Her body froze as she looked down, her flashlight still pointing towards the tank. It looked like one of the thicker wire bundles had started to slither around on the ground at her ankle. Saffron sucked in a deep breath through her teeth as she moved her flashlight beam to point at the mass on the ground. Her hands went numb when she was met with two piercing yellow animal eyes that locked onto her. In a moment of pure survival instinct, Saffron kicked the creature as she reached down for her tool belt again, backing away quickly. She whipped out her pocket knife and then stood in a ready position. She could hear the snake-like creature slithering around her, echoing through the metal pipes and walls.

Saffron's eyes flickered at any movement or noise she heard. She was blindsided as a weight fell on her shoulders from above. Her breathing quickened as the body of the creature wrapped itself around her upper body. In a mix of panic and surprise, she dropped her flashlight, and it rolled around on the ground, blinding her before coming to rest facing away from her. Saffron struggled for a moment, trying to pull the large, slimy body off of herself.

Saffron's eyes were closed, white dots flashing in and out of her vision at the onset of panic. She could still feel the knife in her hand, and closed her grip on it tighter, trying to ground herself. She couldn't stab it without the possibility of marking herself, so instead she backed up quickly and crashed into the ladder. She felt the eel creature loosen its grip. In its moment of weakness, she unwrapped herself from its grasp and threw the animal to the ground. She held out her knife and went for the beast, eyes narrowing in on her prey with anger.

GRAPHIC DESCRIPTIONS OF VIOLENCE ---- Don't read from this point if you are sensitive to violence. There will be a note on where to continue.

Saffron lunged for the body of the animal, pinning it down with her shins. One hand went for the base of the head while the one holding the knife went for the head. She slammed her blade down through the creature's skull, the knife piercing through the bone relatively easily. Saffron felt a warm liquid splash against her face as she felt the animal's squirming die down. She panted heavily, calming herself as she thanked her father for all those self-defense lessons. He always thought she should know how to keep herself safe if she were ever in a situation like this one. He probably never imagined something like this actually happening though.

Saffron leaned back on her knees and looked at her wrist monitor again. She waited and saw the fuel tick down again. She groaned in anger and swore under her breath as she shakily got to her feet. There must be more of these things. But that still doesn't explain my missing fuel... Saffron looked down at the beast lying lifeless on the ground and wondered if this thing could be draining my fuel supply. There were no holes in the tank, so the fuel wasn't leaking. The skin of the animal wasn't slimy so it wasn't bathing in it. It took a second, but Saffron's eyes went wide as she realized what was most likely happening.