The Morgan

Chapter 2

The woman from the lifeboat lies motionless on a hospital bed, hooked up to a heart monitor and a drip. Her vital signs are good. Two bedside lamps and the monitor are the only source of light, but it's enough to show her pale skin. The only sounds in the room are the heart monitors beeps and a quiet snoring sound.

The woman's eyes start to flutter.

The source of the quiet snoring comes from a young woman slouching in a chair besides the cot. She has mid length, died red hair that sits over an undercut back and sides. She is plain looking, but beautiful, even with the open mouth and strings of drool on her chin.

The patient opens her eyes for a second, then closes them again. Her head shakes a little. She opens and closes her eyes a couple more times, then on the fourth attempt they stay open. She struggles to keep them open as she lazily scans the room.

She spots the young woman.

"Hey," she says in a hoarse voice. She gulps and winces, but she speaks again, "hey, where... where am – am I?"

The young woman stirs.

"You're on my ship. It's called 'The Ranger'," Jesse says from the doorway.

The young woman springs up to a sitting position and wipes the drool from her chin, "shit," she says and then stretches her jaw.

The woman looks over at Jesse and wince as she takes another gulp.

"That there is Ava," she says, as she enters the room. "She's supposed to be monitoring you, and calling me when you wake."

"Sorry cap," Ava says as she stands, "guess I was more tired than," she raises her arms and stretches as she moves her hips left to right. She then continues, her words are stretching too, "than I thought."

"Go get some breakfast."

"Yes ma'am," Ava stares at the woman for a long moment, then nods and turns to the captain, "I don't trust this one."

She looks at the woman, "Noted," then turns back to Ava, "don't forget to check the manifolds."

"Of course," she replies, and then walks away.

As she walks towards the medical bay door, she starts to reel of a list of chores. "Check the manifolds, clean the tubes, make the–

"Just get them done," the captain says over her shoulder.

Ava leaves the room.

"YES, MAA'AAM," she shouts from the corridor.

The captain turns her attention back to the woman, "you simply can't get the crew these days."

The woman doesn't respond and stares through the captain.

"My name is, Jesse," she says as she takes a seat. The woman's eyes follow her. "This place is dull right?" she looks around, "lets crack open a window, will we?" She smiles.

The woman remains stone-faced.

Jesse tilts her head slightly as she sizes the woman up.

Moments pass.

"Computer..."

"Yes, captain?"

"...Crack open a window would ya."

"Cracking open a window."

A square piece of metal six feet by nine feet whines as it lifts, slowly revealing an impressive ocean of stars.

The woman doesn't take her eyes off Jesse.

It's not much, but a little light now flows into the room.

"That's a little better isn't it?" She gets no reply. "It is. I mean it doesn't seem so enclosed with an open window, does it?"

The woman doesn't answer.

"I never get tired of seeing," she turns her head to the window, "the stars." She turns her head back to the woman, "Do you?"

Still no reply.

She sizes her up again, then says, "you wanna at least tell me ya name? Can't keep calling ya 'the woman', now can we?"

The woman stares at Jesse for a moment, then says, "It's Paige."

"Paige?" Paige nods, "well okay. That's a start. And ya British? If I'm not mistaken."

She nods, then asks, "Where is she?"

"Ya daughter?"

Paige slowly shakes her head, then says, "she isn't my daughter."

Jesse's eyes open a little wider as she leans in closer, "then whose daughter, is she?"

Paige turns and stares out at the stars and draws in a breath that seems to take a lifetime to end.

Jesse leans in closer and rests her hand gently on Paige's arm.

Paige breathes out and turns to Jesse and stares blankly at her.

Jesse removes her hand and leans back into an upright position. The compassion in her eyes fades as she says, "I'm gunna need some answers, Paige."

"I've not seen," she begins as she scans the room, "a medical bay like this before." She swallows and winces again, then tenses as she looks at Jesse with furrowed brows, "what year is it?"

Jesse takes a moment, then says in a stern voice, "You need to answer my questions first, Paige."

"Please..." she says relaxing a little, "I will answer your questions. I will. But I need to know what year it is. It's important."

Jesse sighs, then says, "It's 2254."

Paige lowers her head and closes her eyes for a moment, draws in another deep breath, then lifts her head. As she releases the breath a sullen look falls heavy on her face.

Jesse's compassion returns and she leans in, taking Paige's hand, "What is it?"

She shakes her head in disbelief, "It's been... we've been floating out there... for – for," tears form on her eyelids, "for a hundred and twelve years."

Jesse's jaw almost hits the floor.