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 Posted: Sun Aug 19, 2012 2:45 pm
To say that Xander had gotten more than he had bargained for was the understatement of the century.
He ran like a man possessed, because he had no idea what to do otherwise. All he knew - all he wanted - was the one thing that still made sense right now. The only thing he had left, perhaps.
He had ran, past the gardens, past the market, deep into the wooden area. The familiar alien-looking, metallic shape was into view, but adrenaline could only push someone so far.
He learned against the door to catch what little breath he had, wheezing and coughing all the while. Izzy would usually had been quick to blame his smoking habits and poor physical shape as causes, but the computer had enough sense to know that, in the current situation, it was probably better to skip the usual quips.
He rested his forehead against the cool metal, fists still clenched, barely able to hear the sound of the wildlife over the mad beating of his own heart.
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Posted: Sun Aug 19, 2012 3:03 pm
"I am sorry Xander."
The goddess did not look quite so tired from following after him. She had wings of course and though she was small she could be fast. She had not meant to upset or hurt him, though, Ankou could hardly lie to him. Her heart went out to him, she did not like to see anybody good upset.
"I wish I could tell you it wasn't true. But ... I can't."
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Posted: Sun Aug 19, 2012 6:06 pm
He had not expected to be followed. Not really. Cosine had held her end of the bargain, and that had been that, right ? Well, more like his freaky boyfriend had known about it. How the hell he had, Xander had no idea. But it was the gap he had been missing. He has been asleep when it all happened... A planet's explosion would have been more than enough to knock the satellite across the universe as they knew it, and the impact itself enough to do the damage to Izzy's systems.
He did not want to believe it, but there was nothing else to believe.
"Not... your... fault..." He managed in between breaths, looking sideways at her. He looked like a lost child rather than a 30 years old man at the moment.
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Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2012 1:54 am
Cosine could only imagine the emotions going on in the man's mind. To know that everything was lost, everyone. It was a terrifying thought. She had seen worlds ravaged by hell and decay. But those who survived them ...
She reached out to touch his shoulder gently. Her niece was grief, her nephew Lament and she knew not to dull thier effects. They needed to be felt. Still, she used a little of her power to soothe.
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Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2012 6:49 am
For what seemed like forever, it looked like neither of them was willing to speak a word. And Xander did not mind. He caught his breath, slowly but surely.
His mind cleared out, just a little bit. Not a lot, but enough, perhaps. Through he had no idea it was the woman at his side that did it. Any other he might brushed away angrily.
"You two might as well come inside, since you've made it this far." A familiar voice finally did break the silence, and the door opened, neatly retracting into the wall.
"...I guess Izzy's sick of us blocking the door." It was a feeble attempt to normality, perhaps - an attempt to ball up all these emotions and toss them aside like a wad of paper, and look like he was alright.
It wouldn't have fooled anybody.
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Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2012 6:58 am
It certainly didn't fool the goddess at his side, but people coped in different ways. This was clearly his way.
"Thank you." She replied to the AI before taking a step into the vessel. It was certainly not like anywhere she had been before.
"Wow, this is something."
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Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2012 7:16 am
"A beauty, isn't she ?" The distraction was good, it seemed. If he had nothing else to focus on... Well, who knew how he might have reacted ? Probably broken down in a corner somewhere.
There were many parts that were inaccessible - whole hallways that had collapsed in the crash, and were likely irrecoverable. Hallways that were blocked by his own moving of the debris - survival had dictated, of course, that first the command center was cleared out, and then the hall to the stasis room. The rest was made up of personal apartments and the like, easily ignored and forgotten. Most of the people that had lived there were long dead, after all.
More pressing had been to focus on those who were still alive.
The only hall that was unblocked lead to a side room, and she could see them there. Four individuals, one woman and three men, sleeping in capsules. They had similar features than Xander, but none of them resembled him enough to be a parent or a sibling.
He looked toward that room out of pure habit - nothing had moved, everything looked like it was working as it should. Well, he knew he had no need to do this. Izzy would have told him if any change had happened.
The satellite had been large on the outside, but very little of it was accessible. Xander's army boots resonated on the metal in an even, familiar rhythm, as he went right to the control room. It was rather bare as it was. The emergency controls had never been deployed, and heavens knew if they were not broken at this point. He hadn't worried about that. There were one chair, one large screen, and that was it.
This was the place that Xander had called home all his life. When he had been little, he had sat on his father's knees, pale green eyes wide. For as far as he could even recall, this small room has been his destiny, his everything - his sole reason for existence.
"What are we doing now, Xander ?"
At first he did not answer. Xander sat in his chair, and one button made another rise from the ******** if I know." He finally ventured, once he had made up an answer that sounded like something he would usually say.
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Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2012 7:41 am
A beauty? Well to someone who was into technologically advanced craft and space things she supposed it was. Cosine glanced around the ship that was Xander's home and smiled. Home was home after all. Slowly she wandered towards the stasis room and studied the other people in there for a moment. wondering who they were, what they did. Their numbers were frozen in time just like their bodies.
She stepped back and went to sit on the chair that appeared next to his. It was comfortable.
"Who are they?" She asked of the people.
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Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2012 7:54 am
"They were on staff on Nurvus with me when s**t hit the fan." He started. "We were much more... But..."
But Cosine could probably figure out what had happened to the rest of the crew.
"Martin's a biologist. He worked with my little brother. Was his second." He shook his head. This might the most Cosine would hear of Marcus unless she pressed. "Thomas was a cook of all things. Poor man was over his head, but he did the best he could. Tanya's a biologist too, or would be if she had finished university. Martin's baby sister. She was here for school when things started going to hell and we couldn't get her back home. ...I guess it was lucky for her." If they had gotten Tanya back home, she would probably be dead rather than asleep. "And Nicholas' a pain in the a**." He grinned, amused for a fleeting moment. "...You could call him my second, I guess."
"The worse s**t got, the more obvious it started to look that we were ********. I guess I understand. Tanya was scared shitless by the end." At least under stasis, she wouldn't be having nightmares anymore. "But if I had to die, I wanted to die on my own two feet. So I agreed to seal them. Told 'em I'd wake them up when things were back to normal. Eventually things got too bad for even me and Izzy started yelling at me until I took a nap too. I have it a year. Figure if we weren't all going to die, then I needed to be awake to wake up everyone else."
When he woke up, well... They were exactly where they were now.
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Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2012 9:05 am
"That's rather noble." Cosine did not speak until he had finished. It was a miraculous story. "The woman I was going to recommend to help you get her up and running, she has a similar story. She flew half way across the universe with her young children. Everyone that lives in and near the Pantheon have lost so much." She frowned a little. "It makes me angry. I can't help but wonder if it could all have been avoided. Though I suppose it is useless to dwell in the past. You are here, and you have your crew mates."
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Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2012 3:54 pm
"Noble ?" He could't help but chuckle at that. "Nuts, maybe. But you do what you can think of at the time to survive. You don't have the time to waste evaluating options. You get a good grip on your gut instinct and you follow it through. That's probably how your friend did it, too."
It had been the other four's gut instinct to attempt to preserve themselves. It had been his to stand on his own two feet for a long as he could. Now, of course, he had all the time in the world to think - had he not lagged behind, had he not set his own stasis to end after a year, then the emergency systems would have fizzled out and they would all have died anyway.
Maybe stubbornness had it's uses after all.
"...I guess there's no use trying to fix this up, uh." He sighed. "There's no planet to orbit. No climate to control. I told them I'd wake them up when everything was back to normal... But things are never gonna be normal again."
He wasn't looking forward to that conversation.
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Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2012 4:30 am
"Things won't be as they were, no. Though I am sure some sort of normality may be achieved." After all normal was relative. They could still have normal lives despite their home being destroyed. Their skills would be useful to those rebuilding.
"Time heals as they say. You will be able to find work here. There are those who would wish to return to space, they might have need of your expertese."
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Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2012 12:11 pm
"Hm. Im no engineer through." He really couldn't tell anyone how a ship worked - it just did. For him, anyway. He was the programmer - Izzy did all the work. And she had been created by his father, and not him.
"I know I can't just have them sleep forever." He sighed. "But im not looking forward to that conversation." He couldn't see them taking it well. Who the hell would take 'Everything you once knew is dead and gone' well, anyway ?
"Izzy. For now, look for Zelan."
"Xan..."
"I know. It's a shitty idea. But when I do wake 'em up. the burden of proof will be on me." He doubted any of them would believe 'well, a freaky white-skinned man with way too many ******** wings told me so", really.
He wouldn't have believed that if he hadn't been there.
"So we get proof. We get proof, we tell them what happened... Then we settle. I figure." What else was there ? Not even Xander was bullheaded enough to realize that they were lucky enough to be alive. They might very well be the last zelarians in the whole universe.
To waste that life would be like spitting in the eye of all those who had died.
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Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2012 1:13 pm
"Programming then?" Cosine watched him, studying his emotions. It was interesting for her, to see all these feelings that were so closely associated with her family.
"If you need to speak to someone, my nephew is Lament. He may be able to help you cope with the loss. Or one of his followers." She was not really sure what else she could do to help him. Other than give a new purpose.
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Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2012 1:59 pm
"Maybe once people decide to discover computers again." He mused. He could work on Izzy, sure, but there was little more than could be done beside repair the existing damage. And he would need to get the others aware and settled first.
And then what ?
He had no idea.
"I'll be fine." He'd never needed help before - why would he need it now ? Stubbornness seemed to prevail - at least for now.
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