The Typhoon ~Vash x OC AU~

Chapter 2: Tales of Ship 3

Leilani

Sweat clings to the glass of water that Luida had ordered for me. It tastes cold and refreshing, surging through me as it eases the burning in my throat.

My head is still spinning but it is becoming easier to focus my eyes, though the brightness does make me wince.

Luida sits, still in the chair at my bedside, her gaze focused on me, and her posture relaxed. I know that she's waiting for me to speak. She did just unload a lot on me, but I'm still rattling it all around in my mouth.

"Leilani Belle, my name is Luida Leitner, and you are a guest here on Ship 3," she had said brightly.

I sat, those words sinking into my skin when suddenly all the bits that didn't make sense, began to weave together. The lost technology. The bizarrely bright room. The flash we saw before ending up here. All of it.

"This is Ship 3?" I asked. The crash began to subside. "As in SEEDS, Ship 3?"

She surveyed me briefly, nodding, "Yes."

The lump in my throat hardened. It didn't feel real. Being here. Being in one of the very ships that housed what remained of Earth's collection of humanity. Were they still there? Were there others? Or had they all taken to the surface of No Man's Land as my ancestors had?

Almost as if Luida was reading my mind, she said, "Our ship houses the least amount of people. In deep sleep, that is." She shifted. "I know that you are aware of the Great Fall – the day Ship 5 went down." I nodded and she continued, "Of course. After the catastrophe, Ships 1 through 4, and Ships 6 through 8 (I'm actually not sure how many ships were in Project SEEDS' fleet, so I made these numbers up) all came together. Some ships – Ships 4, 6, and 7 – landed and set up on No Man's Land immediately." She inhaled heavily. "Ships 1 and 2 remained above. And Ships 3 and 8 decided on a partial unloading of their people."

"Partial?"

She nodded, "Yes. Those in charge thought that was the best call. Get as many humans down here as possible but keep some on a few ships in case things go wrong." She shrugged. "At the time, no one knew what caused the Great Fall, so we didn't know if it could happen again. Precaution or paranoia, what was done was done with the hope of preserving humanity."

I guess even with the old tech they were still in the dark when it came to what happened.

"That said," she continued, once again shifting, "no one believed there were any survivors from Ship 5. It wasn't until some Ship 3 scouts were on No Man's Land's surface that they found a young boy." She shook her head but smiled warmly as she recalled memories. "Poor thing was a mess. So disheveled and shaken up. Almost completely shut down, really. I felt bad for him." Her eyes returned to mine. "I knew he was a passenger – or at least belonged to one of the ships. His outfit told me that."

Immediately I grasped what she meant. Looking at her, Luida was dressed completely in white and gray clothing, but not the type of clothing I had been exposed to growing up. On...the surface, clothes are made to withstand the harsh climate and elements. Looking at Luida's clothes, she wouldn't be protected by anything. Even the little white dress I bought back in Penton is more protective.

But I didn't interject. I just let her go on.

"Tests were run, and we examined him and through previous records, found out he was an independent." She looked at me knowingly. "You do know what that is, correct?"