Supernova 1

Chapter 2

Nemo's POV
1 week before liftoff date
I woke up to the sound on my obnoxious alarm clock, beeping away. Smashing the snooze button with a tired hand, I woke up. I slipped on a white pair of sweatpants and another white sweatshirt. I'm not supposed to go anywhere important today, so this outfit should suffice.
As I neared the cafeteria, my stomach flipped upside down as I tried to breath as little as possible. The smell was definitely breathtaking, but not in a good way.
They were serving sausage that looked about as good as it smelled. I made a full 180 before entering the cafeteria. I should go to work early and get caught up, I reasoned.
I walked down the hallway to my work center to see the stacks of papers that had piled around the metal desk. The stack was only going to get bigger and bigger the more data that is collected.
I took a long sigh and went to work.
***
Deep in my papers, I heard a high pitched, blaring alarm system. I nearly jumped out of my chair and goosebumps had formed on my arms and neck. If the alarm was going off, something really bad must have happened.
I took off, out of my chair, nearly tripping on it as I ran out of the room. I was running to the system control room as the ground started trembling furiously. I fell to the floor trying to keep my body steady. We must be having another tremor. Yet, this unnerving tremor is unlike anything I have ever experienced. This one is so much worse than the other ones.
The lights flickered, casting an eerie glow to the white hallway. Although the ground was still shaking, I got up and continued making my way down the hallway. Little bits and pieces of the ceiling drifted to the ground like dust, falling into my hair and coating me with the grey filings.
As I continued through the facility, thin cracks began forming on the hallway walls. I navigated my way through the base and eventually found my way to the system control room. I banged on the doors with my fists, but they wouldn't budge.
Thud.
A large piece of ceiling fell to the floor next to me. Molded inside the cement chunk was a piece of metal structuring. I grabbed the end and wedged a piece off. I used it like a crowbar and jammed it into the sliver in the center of the door, pushing with all my strength. I heard the door screech painfully until I finally heard a click and it opened. I quickly entered the control room to see all of my superiors, including Lucas.
I ran to him and jumped into a hug. After a moment or two, I looked up to see his horrified face.
He looked down at me and in a quivering voice, he said "Nemo, I need you to get everyone into the S.A.C.'s."
"Bu-" I started, but he stopped me. "Now." I couldn't deny the amount of fear in his voice so, I obeyed. I know better than to talk back at a time like this.
I took a deep look in his eyes before running back to the living quarters. I ran down the hallway. My energy coming from pure adrenaline. Definitely not from the inedible food being distributed from the cafeteria.
Over the loudspeaker, I heard Lucas announce to the facility. "Everyone, please remain calm and report to the S.A.C. pods inside the ship."
I began with helping the elderly to the chamber as they navigated through the stampede of everyone else. An unsettling feeling held grasp of my stomach but I continued on with the task Lucas gave me.
Once everyone was in the S.A.C. room, we started to close the chambers. Within a few minutes, a large section of the room was already complete. Leaving just the staff and the high officials left.
Once again the ground of the facility let out a loud groan and started to shift. The screeching of metal from the base outside was deafening.
Everyone still left in the room shifted their balance to account for the shaking ground. I started loading the rest of the staff and the officials until finally, it was just me and Lucas.
I slipped into the freezing S.A.C. chamber trying to not mind the cold lumpy cloth, and looked up at him."I love you, Nemo," I heard him say as he closed the door. "I love you too," I said as I tried to comfort him and myself.
Lucas ran to the closest chamber near me, climbed inside and gave me a thumbs up as the cover of his pod slowly secured and latched itself.
Just as a blurry haze settled over my eyes, something large slammed into my chamber. My numb, limp body shifted at the impact.
Everything turned black.