She wasn't even supposed to be on the dropship going down to Earth.
As the youngest zero-g mechanic on the ark (as well as an engineer but she wouldn't dare speak of it in Raven's presence), Althena Chen was tasked-along with other senior mechanics...
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"I should've gone with him."
Jasper didn't look up from the table as he continued to work.
"I'm sorry, Jasper," she apologized, eyes filled with guilt. "Monty told me about the strange signals he kept receiving. I knew there was something off that time. I should've listened and gone with him instead."
Jasper sniffed, "Then you would've been taken with him too."
Thena leaned against the table beside Jasper, sighing, "Maybe..." She looked up at the ceiling, "But, at least he wouldn't be alone."
The two stayed silent, Monty's absence weighing heavily between them.
"He must be so scared," Thena spoke sadly.
"You know... I can't remember a time when Monty wasn't with me. He has always been there," Jasper said. He stared unfocused with a melancholic smile as he reminisced.
"The two of us together? We could face anything," he turned to Thena with a smile. "Even when we were caught stealing herbs, we weren't terrified because we had each other."
Thena smiled in return, imagining a younger Jasper and Monty.
"Okay, that was a lie," Jasper chucked. "We were scared shitless." Thena laughed with the boy.
"But, it was okay. Because we had each other." Jasper sighed.
Thena covered his hand with her own. "We'll get him back, Jas. I'll find him and bring him back to you or I'll die trying."
Jasper's eyes welled up with tears as he gripped her hand tightly.
A commotion made the pair flinch.
Jasper and Thena looked at each other with furrowed brows.
"I'll go check it out," she said.
Jasper stopped here, "No, stay here. I'll go." Before Thena could protest, he had already turned around and gone down.
She sighed, shaking her head. Tinkering with the gunpowder on the table, she could only hear faint voices from down below before it suddenly went silent.
Thena frowned. "Jasper?" she called out.
Moving to climb down the ladder, she could hear the familiar voice of Murphy.
