Fantasy Vs Reality | The Withering

28: Silent Waiting

It's too soon.

~~

It was strange. Kay and the rest of the crew were actually going to find Earth... but why? What enthralled Marcus so much to find before the Vexel? What made Kay become obsessed with the idea of finding Earth herself? What secrets were waiting for her there?

When the ship went into it's Hyper Jump, Kay couldn't fathom how fast time had started going by. Would Earth hold all the secrets to saving the galaxy? The universe?

The ship stabilized and Elva came on to the intercoms, "We'll be arriving in Sector Y in under twelve hours. Elva out." She clicked the mic off and Kay stretched. She was both anxious and frightened of finding Earth.

*      *      *

Six hours passed and the crew had begun settling down. It was no secret that the Omineon was heading for Sector Y, and people would soon understand that Earth was their next destination.

As the crew got closer to the Sector, Kay began to have a very uneasy feeling. While they were mostly safe from pirates and hostiles while they were in their Hyper Jump, there was something off about the coming hours ahead of them. Without really thinking into it, Kay left her room and headed for the Bridge.

As she walked, she noticed Storm exit her room and follow close behind. She looked off, like something was bothering her too. "Do you feel it?" Kay whispered as they stepped inside the elevator.

Storm nodded, "Something is coming... something big. Dangerous."

"I have this horrid feeling the Vexel knows where we are going..." Kay whispered.

"I don't think we have just the Vexel to worry about..." Storm grimly replied.

The elevator doors opened and they stepped out. Marcus was silently sitting in his chair playing what looked like a video game on his digi-phone. When he noticed Kay and Storm's presence, he paused the game and put the phone away. He looked at them both curiously, "Is there something you need that only I can fulfill?"

Kay looked to Storm, and they locked eyes for a moment. Storm swallowed and looked back to Marcus, "We... we have a bad feeling that something is about to happen..."

Marcus nodded, "I understand the idea of the Vexel hunting us is... stress-inducing. But relax, there is a small chance for interceptors to reach us. We are safely tucked inside the Hyper Jump Tunnel."

"But there is some chance?" Kay pressed, she needed to know for sure nothing bad was going to happen. The empty feeling in her gut told her that what she was feeling was very real.

Marcus nodded slowly, as if thinking about the message earlier they had listened to. He sighed, "You know, I suppose there is a chance they are already on our trail. But the odds of them catching us in the tunnel are close to none. Only a really experienced pilot would be able to intercept."

Marcus glanced at Orion. Was that glance insinuating that Orion has intercepted a Hyper Jump before? Kay pushed the thought away and Storm finally spoke up, "I'm not concerned about the Vexel, Captain..."

"What are you saying?" Marcus tilted his head.

"The cure... does it even work? Did it work on..." Storm silently gestured towards Orion. Kay realized how off he looked.

Marcus shook his head. He spoke in a very low tone so no one could overhear, "Relax. Sylvia helped Jacob treat both Ember and Orion with the antidotes and all traces of the ooze is gone."

"And the side effects?" Storm narrowed her eyes, her ears were flattening.

"We... don't know yet." Marcus sighed, "I'm sure they'll be fine. We've kept close eye on both of them."

*      *      *

The Omineon was silent as the three hour countdown began for the destination to Sector Y. Kay could feel the unease growing inside of her. It was like the silence in the night during a war where everyone waited for someone to make the first shot. Despite the fact the Omineon was humming loudly at the speed it was going, everything seemed to stand still.

Something was terribly wrong.

If the Vexel was already on their trail, there's no way it could be this easy for long. There was a reason this Sector and a few others were forbidden for entry right? What was the Neon Empire trying to hide from them? Or rather... what were they protecting them from? The latter question sent chills down Kay's spine as she sat silently in her room.

Since the Cargo Bay had everything in order, there was no need for her to do anything so she had no work to do. She rarely needed to do anything anyways it seemed. Most of the time she just stood around waiting for someone to tell her what to do and they'd either send her away because she wasn't needed, or told her to just hang out until lunch break.

She had finally met Sensor. No memories were triggered when she saw him. Kay theorized it was because she had remembered all she needed to remember. She shook her head slightly at the thought. Sensor was a sweetheart too, he was... different, but he didn't appear to have a problem fitting in with the others.

As weird as it was to say, the whole crew was just a bunch of misfits who didn't conform to society., They all banded together to go explore space. Kay shrugged to herself, lost in her own thoughts.

Time suddenly seemed to slow. Kay watched in slow motion as she was suddenly thrown off of her bed by an unknown force. The ship was jerked sideways, and the gravity in the ship faded away. She floated to the other side of her room, bumping into the wall. Blinking as she pulled herself out of her thoughts, the power in the ship went out.

Shortly after, dim red lights came on. Emergency power perhaps?

Anxiety pricking as silence grew louder over the ship, Kay slowly floated her way over to her door. To her slight surprise, it didn't open by itself. Then she rubbed a head down her face. Of course it wouldn't open, the power on the ship isn't working. Kay looked for an emergency switch somewhere by the door, and she finally found a small red lever to pull. She pulled it and her door opened to dark, unwelcoming silence.

Frowning, Kay pulled herself out of her room and looked down the hallway in one direction, and then the other. There was nothing, it was just dead dark. There was no one in sight either. Was this another dream Kay was having? It seemed pretty real to her and she felt the butterflies flutter inside her.

Kay's best bet in her mind, was getting to the Bridge. Marcus would know what to do yes? But then Kay frowned. The elevators wouldn't work... would they? She was stuck now, so she decided to go for the next best thing, Storm.

Kay turned and went down another hallway until she came to Storm's door. She knocked on it, and she heard a soft voice inside, but she couldn't make out what was said.

Kay tried to force the door open sideways, and could feel it move. However, because there was no gravity, she was unable to get enough momentum to open it. She called out, and realized she suddenly could not hear anymore. She must've been dreaming yes? She had to go and try to wake up. This was not real.

She made her way back to her room and put herself on her bed. She pushed herself down into the blankets and tried to force herself to go back to sleep. She tried and tried for a while. Eventually, she felt herself changing, but something was still off.

When Kay opened her eyes, the gravity was back and the lights were on. She sat up and frowned, that feeling of being alone lingered. She moved and staggered to the end of her room and her door opened. Outside, she found herself staring into Storm's eyes, and the sudden feeling of loneliness left her.

"You saw it too... didn't you?" Storm whispered, "Something is coming..."

"I did..." Kay whispered in reply, "and I don't think it's going to be smooth sailing for much longer."