The tension in the safety vessel was simmering. It was almost tangible. He didn't know what to say, so he kept silent. In the quiet, Leif realised he could hear a weird hissing noise, like a snake preparing to strike or a - the ship! The air was escaping! "Quickly! We don't have much time!" Leif told Averex, already flicking the ship into autopilot. He yanked open the glovebox, rummaging through stashes of bandaids, troves of bottled water, a plentiful supply of mints and some other necessities, Leif pulled out a roll of thick grey tape. He unbuckled his seat-belt and clambered over into the back.
Averex helped Leif lather the tape over the rock, which was slipping out of the side of the ship with every passing second. Finally, when they were nearly done, it tumbled out, floating away into the black. There was a panicked moment when we scrambled for breathing helmets, but in a few minutes the hole was blocked up and the pressure equalised.
Leif slid back into the driver's seat and tugged off his helmet. They flew on in silence for a few minutes, but the tension was more or less gone. It was like the near-death experience had brought them a bit closer. Or maybe Leif was just hoping that. He was wondering about the Averex situation, when his thoughts meandered, in the way thoughts do, to Averex's sister. And the scream. He could still hear its echoes... "What was her name?" Leif choked out, though an unexpected haze of emotion. Leif twisted back to look Averex in the eyes, to find them filled with tears like Leif's own.
"Her name..." He paused and took a deep breath, "Her name was Aellyce." Averex swallowed. Leif could see that he was purposely avoiding looking anywhere near the taped-up hole. And his sister's body.
They descended into an awkward quiet. Leif realised that he hadn't introduced himself. "My... my friends call me Leif." He stammered. "Oh. What do your not-friends call you?" He asked. Leif looked Averex dead in the eye and said, "Leif." He could see Averex trying to hide sudden laughter. "Well... pleased to meet you then, Leif." He said meaningfully.
We were stuck in this mess together. The least we could do was be friends. Right?
YOU ARE READING
Earth Rise
Science FictionWhen Sora 79 is thrown into disarray, a small band of Rebels escape from the chaos, plunging into deep space. When their ship malfunctions, Leif is left alone on Earth, whose inhabitants left long ago. Will he survive?
