From behind the shadows of my eyelids, I see a pulsing red glow. Suddenly my ears pop and the sound of a loud, urgent siren greets my ears. Scrambling up from the ground, I quickly take in my cramped, metal surroundings. The ground beneath me suddenly lurches forward and the ground starts to slant at an odd angle. I stumble and slip. Blacking out is the last thing I remember. The robotic voice that was earlier announcing my hopeful future seems to be screeching my imminent doom.
"Automatic course has been overridden. Meteor shower has been detected and will hit Escape Shuttle 00562 in T minus fifty seconds. All occupants should evacuate immediately." This statement is repeated over and over and I can feel the panic bubbling up inside of me. This is not supposed to be happening! I was going to be saved, I can't be dying now! Shaking my head, I give myself a mental slap. I can't do this now. I need to concentrate. Desperately, I start to tap at the screen, which is flashing a bright red warning sign. Nothing is happening. I turn to the sophisticated switches and multiple buttons and start to push and press everything. After all, it seems I have nothing to lose now. The computerized voice all around me starts to countdown.
"Meteors will come into contact in T minus five seconds, four seconds, three seconds, two seconds, one sec-" Everything stops. The shuttle goes dark. I slump to the floor. And then...
Light. A blindingly brilliant light fills my vision as the metal doors are shoved open. Gasping, I stand up and look at the first person I've seen in days. His eyes are grey. Not quite blue but not quite green. He has dark brown hair, which is styled just like Kyle's was. Eyebrows furrowed, he looks at me, weapon in hand and points right at my head. Realizing that I'm still on the ground, I start to stand up but he takes a step closer and yells.
"Hey! Stay where you are! How did you get a shuttle? Don't answer that!" I just continue to stare at the tip of the gun wide-eyed. It seems like forever until I hear a muffled voice call out from outside the shuttle.
"Joven? Joven! Would you move your big butt over a bit? You're not the only one that was sent to investigate you know..." Suddenly, the guy who's raising his gun at me sighs and moves over.
"It's worse than they thought, Candice. There's someone in here,"
"Sweet! They never let us see any dead bodies, I don't know why. I mean we're bound to see them at-" The girl, Candice, is interrupted.
"She's not dead."
"What?! Move over, you big lug!" The boy is pushed to the ground as a short girl with pale blue eyes and long, dirty blond hair wiggles her way into the tight entrance way. "So can you talk or what?"
"I...I, well yes," I stutter at the unexpected greeting.
"Well, at least we know she's not completely the rogue alien type," Candice says turning to the boy, who I'm assuming is Joven.
"I'm not an alien," I say with a lot more conviction then I thought I could muster.
"And she has a bit of a backbone too! Well didn't we hit the jackpot," she states with a grin. Joven just gives her a look and turns to me with a grim glare.
"So I guess we should probably call in, right? I mean I don't think they thought there was actually anyone on this shuttle," Joven says reaching for a device hooked on his belt.
"No! Wait, don't call! We should take her back ourselves, we could get a promotion and besides she doesn't look that dangerous to me," she exclaims as she sizes me up.
"I don't know..." Joven trails off, sparing Candice a brief glance before turning his intense staring back at me.
"Oh c'mon! You're always such a goody, goody!"
