Drifting Dark

Chapter 14: Freezing Up

Cassie stared through the open doorway, unable to move from her seat on the floor. It felt like she wasn't breathing, despite the small, steady puffs encroaching on her field of vision. Cool air poured out of the dark generator, lowering the temperature of the shuttle bay even further, but she didn't notice. She couldn't tear her eyes away from the body in front of her.

Aqeel's frozen corpse lay face down just past the edge of the doorway, surrounded by a sea of tiny ice crystals, tinged red by the emergency lighting.

She couldn't move a muscle.

That was exactly where Danny found her when he entered the room, his heavy footsteps echoed on the metal floor, breaking the silence of the shuttle bay. Followed by the sound of him skidding to a stop as he reached the balcony.

"Cassie?" Danny's eyes darted to the open door. "Shit."

In a flash, he'd made his way to the door of the generator. He stepped inside carefully, his boots causing a small crunching noises. His dark clothes absorbed almost all the ruby-purple light from the generator, but gave his dark grey shirt a reddish tint matching the walls around him. Slowly, he crouched down beside Aqeel, taking care not to touch anything other than the body.

Cassie looked away as he flipped it over.

The next thing she knew, Danny was pushing the heavy door closed with his shoulder. There was a firm click as it slid into place, the wheel rotating slightly on it's own. It felt like the air temperature slipped up a degree from that alone.

Danny glanced at Cassie, then at the flashing computer screen.

He went to the computer.

It was on the same screen as before, the temperature regulation system, with it's complex piping network. Danny studied the display, looking confused and concerned at the red flashing boxes filled with large numbers. He tried pressing a few buttons cautiously.

Cassie pulled her knees closer to her chest. Her eyes stayed glued to the door. Even though it was shut now, it didn't change the fact that she could still see everything.

The image wouldn't fade from her mind.

"Cassie?" Danny called out. "What's going on here?"

She didn't respond.

Danny glared at her, scowling slightly, before starting to walk towards her. As he got closer, the purposefulness faded from his steps. Each one became slower, more hesitant.

The urgent atmosphere had ceded to an awkward tension as Danny hung about uncomfortably, almost two feet away from the young mechanic stuck inside her own troubled thoughts. The freezing metal floor creaked as he shifted his weight from foot to foot.

Before he could say anything, Cassie spoke. "I... I didn't know what to do." Her voice wavered, small and strained. "He should never... He wasn't supposed to be in there."

"I know," Danny replied bluntly.

"That wasn't the protocol," Cassie mumbled into her arms, her knees pressed together tightly. "That wasn't the protocol."

Danny let out a long, heavy breath. "Cassie, you need to get up."

His voice was kinder than she expected from him.

It was filled with pity.

The knot in her stomach twisted even tighter, until it felt like it might choke her and force out the words on the tip of her tongue.

A loud blast rang out as a pipe blew itself open. A jet of pressurized gas came out, blasting dust off the stairs behind them. Faint specks of white stood out against Cassie's neat black hair as she twisted around on the floor to get a better look.