Edward asks, "What are they doing to get Ed and Richard back out?"
Paul at a loss for a reassuring answer to that one, just tells the truth, as he knows it, as Sylvie relayed it, "They are waiting to see if Ed and company can rescue the others and re-open the anomaly. Apparently there is battle cruiser on hand and another one or two on their way."
Maria and Jenny are crying, unable to cope with the fact that the news they were dreading has finally come through. Whilst at the moment Ed and Richard's demise has not been confirmed, it does not look good. The pair are thinking the same thing, 'Just why did they put their lives on the line like this?'
Edward, tries to maintain some sanity by saying, "For all we know they may be back out by now, these messages take some hours to reach us because of the vastness of space. There's no need to get unnecessarily upset at this stage, Ed and Richard could be perfectly safe and on their way home by now."
Edward's attempt at reassurance does nothing for Maria and Jenny, they still sob uncontrollably. Paul attempts to console them by cuddling the pair, feeling at a loss to do anything else. Not daring to mention Sylvie's plans.
Whilst, Edward tries again to get everyone to see 'common sense.'
~~~~ Later ~~~~
Paul's comms band beeps, the third message today and all from Sylvie. This one confirms that the authorities, in the shape of the western spiral alliance, have agreed to launch their own rescue mission, what is more, they have at their disposal a new craft that travels at twice normal speed, so instead of it taking nearly five days to get to the place where Ed and Richard disappeared from, it will only take about two days. Then Sylvie asks the question, that Paul has been dreading, is he on for going out there or not.
Paul knows what his parents and come to that Carina would say about him going, but at the end of the day, it is his brother, his life and if the roles were reversed, he knows what way Ed would go. He sees that he really has no choice, however, that does not prevent him having the same fears and thoughts that no doubt Ed had when making up his mind and preparing to go. He decides that he will have to do it without telling a soul. Ed's disappearance was more painful for the family in that he had discussed the matter with Jenny beforehand, whilst it gave her some understanding as to why he went, it didn't take away the agony.
Paul's reply is short, simple and somehow final, 'Count me in, when and where?'
The return message, is quick to arrive, it says, "Hescidian Space Port, still making final arrangements, but suspect tomorrow morning. Best set off tonight, they won't want to wait around. Do you need me to send anything to Dad?'
Paul replies, 'Please don't.'
The reply is short and sweet, 'I see, OK. Tomorrow, minimum stuff, kit supplied.'
Paul stayed away from the others. Edward still trying to play the logical thought card, Maria and Jenny still flooding the entertainments room, with their tears, the dramacast probably still on pause.
~~~~ Later ~~~~
It seemed strange to see a recognisable smiling face, but there she was ready to greet him, Sylvie, large as life, as the saying goes. It had been some while since Paul had seen her, had sensed her thoughts. He had almost forgotten her ability to be able to speak without opening her lips. There is much relief in her thoughts and something else there that he had not seen before. Something about Richard and himself; Paul reminded her of Richard, but in a sense, that was more than it should have seemed. There is a lot of emotion there. Emotion that Paul finds it difficult to understand. Then suddenly like a bolt of lightening, he sees it. Well, well, how did they keep that little secret? Richard and Sylvie. How did he not spot it before. Sylvie seems relieved that he now knows. He senses her smile. Paul utters, "Well, well." then "I am glad for the pair of you."
Sylvie softly says, "Thanks" and she grabs his hand. The emotionless Sylvie, family, fancy that. Paul's Aunt, well sort of anyway. He quite likes the thought, 'Aunt Sylvie.' Especially now he knows that she isn't cold and emotionless like the depths of space. The depths of space, the thought brings him back to what they are planning to do, what they are going to do. He asks if the craft has arrived.
Sylvie confirms that whilst it won't appear on a departure board, it was already here and making ready to depart. She adds that it is docked at a remote place on the port and that they will need to travel behind the scenes in order to reach it, she says that she has been waiting for someone to fetch them. Sylvie grips Paul's hand tight again and says that she is so pleased that he had agreed to come along. She confirms that she also is not looking forward to the trip, however, the thought of being nearer to Richard and Ed spurs her onward. Just then a security person walks up to them, flashes some sort of ID to Sylvie and asks them to follow him. Sylvie nods, asks if Paul is ready, he picks up his bag and nods. The group of three head towards an entrance marked, 'Authorised Personnel ONLY'
~~~~~~~~
Chapter 27 - Regimented
Ed wonders how much time has passed since they entered the anomaly and come to that how long has he been here? Wherever here actually is. He would just love it if he could solve that mystery.
Another flash. This time, there was something more than just light, hazy and indistinct. Also feeling, at last some feeling! Ed can feel something against his eye, the one that he had opened. It is a liquid, feels strange at first, like those times when you use an eye wash and you are very reluctant to open your eye, as you are convinced it will hurt; so much so that when you do open your eye you think it hurts, but it doesn't. This is the same. Ed's vision is blurred at first, as he gets used to trying to focus through the liquid. There must be something holding the liquid in place and perhaps his eye's lenses have to compensate for that also.
The thought suddenly hits Ed, if his eyes are submerged in some sort of liquid how can he breath? Is he breathing? He tries to take in a deep breath, but he has no sensation of breathing. No cold or come to that warm air entering his mouth or his throat, or his lungs. Yet if he can see, he must be alive. Unless he is wrong about that one, perhaps he isn't the fact that he cannot get the sensation of breathing, could indicate that he is no longer alive. Yet what is this liquid all about. He can sense and feel this.
Ed's sight is getting clearer now. Hundreds if not thousands of them, how can he describe them? Oval in shape, each with something inside. If only he could make out quite what they are. He blinks. Ah that is clearer, they remind him of pods, pods on a tree, yet these are in regimented rows. Row upon row, upon row. Thousands of them, each containing something, something with different colours, with the same colours in some cases. It reminds Ed of something, something early in life.
That's it rows and rows of people, some wearing the same clothes and then every so often some wearing different colours. Like the first day of school, when most children turn up in school uniform whilst a few turn up in their own clothes, looking rather odd and rather out of things.
Why the vast numbers of these oval pods and why so regimented? So this isn't a conventional hospital. Perhaps this is an alien form of recovery facility and that's the way they do things here. But why so many? It is like there has been a disaster, a massive crash and all these people need intensive care. But if that is the case, where are the doctors, the nurses? Someone must notice soon that he, Ed is coming around, all he has to do is sit tight, keep an eye on his surroundings and if he sees an opportunity to get noticed, he must take it.
~~~~~~~~
The craft is considerably different to any that Paul has seen before, a lot smaller than he would have hoped. They were not going to rescue many with this craft, although from the information that Ed had sent Paul, the whole crew and passengers of the Jasteritan would probably fit on board this craft. What will they do with all the hundreds if not thousands of others who have been taken into that anomaly. Paul just hopes that the crafts that went into the anomaly, can make it back out again.
The techno geek side
of Paul wonders what makes this new craft so unique and so fast. No doubt being secret, no one will let him in on that one. How he'd dearly love to know though.
Paul is at the same time excited and full of dread at what they are about to do. He gets that same sense from Sylvie, tinged with a sense of gratitude that Paul is here with her. Paul is very surprised to pick up that Sylvie feels that she would find this more difficult without someone she knew being along for the trip. Given her trade, Paul would have thought that she had probably faced hundreds of things ten times as scary. Who would have thought that a member of the secret service would also have nerves?
It is most strange to be standing in a deserted corridor, looking out of the windows at the craft that will be their home for the near future. It is the strangest craft that Paul and Sylvie have ever seen, no colour, pure black. It looks quite chic and streamlined, apart from the two rather bulbous appendages at the back. They make the craft look really weird and must be something to do with what makes this a special craft. As Paul and Sylvie look up and down the other docking ports, there are no other craft in sight. Most strange indeed for such a busy space port to see such a sight.
The man who has brought Paul and Sylvie out to this craft is getting a bit edgy now, presumably wanting to get back to the main area of the port, perhaps he has to escort others out here. He keeps walking towards the craft's entrance gateway, then returning to Paul & Sylvie as he sees that they are not following him. His every movement shows that he wants them to get aboard and release him to get back to his other tasks.
Reluctantly Paul and Sylvie take their last look at the exterior of their craft, trying to remember the scene. They gather their belongings together and head towards the SecID terminal. One at a time, waving their comms bands before it, they are granted entrance to the long winding tunnel that leads down to the waiting craft. Their escort bids them a safe and pleasant flight and then he joyfully departs off back to the main part of the port. :-)
The airlock to the craft is closed, a most strange occurrence, for a craft being boarded. There's a flash of a face behind the window in the airlock door. Then the door starts to open, revealing a woman dressed in full battle style gear, a weapon prominently displayed, held diagonally across her chest, ready to point straight at Paul and Sylvie.
Paul and Sylvie as one, wonder if they have come to the wrong craft.
The woman without a word, nods towards the SecID terminal just inside the door. She seems overly nervous about the presence of these two strangers, dressed in civilian clothes.
Sylvie, does as prompted and waves her comms band in front of the terminal, which identifies her as "R4C-122479-03-S". Strange, no name announced. The terminal pauses and then announces, "Welcome aboard Sylvie". Finally a name, but no family name. Sylvie steps aside to give Ed free access to the terminal. The armed woman, indicates that Sylvie move further into the craft. However, Sylvie has other ideas and stands where she is, shielding Ed from direct line of sight from this over officious guard, or at least that's the way that Paul receives her thoughts on the matter.
Paul steps forward and also waves his arm band in front of the terminal. There is pause, then the terminal announces, "R4C-402361-98-C". Again the pause as it considers whether this is an acceptable id or not, then it announces, "Paul Glaceons, student, suggest search for weapons and materials." At the latter announcement, another guard appears out of the wings so to speak and points his weapon at Paul. This one speaks, he asks Paul to "Step this way please sir. Bring your bag with you." The latter added as Paul drops his bag.
Sylvie protests, "He's one of us."
The guard says, "Can not be too careful, Mam. Be grateful if you could remain here." His gun points to a spot on the floor, which just happens to have a circle as part of the pattern. Almost as if it was deliberately designed to be a holding area.
Paul follows the guard, as he walks sideways, keeping his eyes simultaneously on where they are heading and also on Paul. They do not walk far. The guard stops and points with his weapon to an open door, indicating that Paul step inside. The guard says, "Please put your bag on the shelf to your right, turn and face the window at the front, then stand perfectly still."
The door slides shut and Paul sees that the guard's gun is pointed straight at him. Now, if that were not enough of a persuader, to stand perfectly still, I don't know what is. Paul does as instructed. He notes that there are beams of light scanning all over his body, presumably checking for concealed weapons and who knows what else.
After what seems like a very long time the beams disappear and a voice declares Paul as 'clean'. The door slides open and the guard advises Paul that he can pick up his bag. Then in a much friendlier tone, he says, "Welcome aboard the Klashnayev, Mister Glaceons. I'd like to say have a comfortable journey, but I know from the trip here, they still haven't ironed out the bugs. You will find the details of your cabin location and a map of the craft, along with forbidden areas on your comms band sir. I would suggest you stay out of those forbidden areas, as I would hate our next encounter to be a terminal one. I don't really like using these things, although I will if I have to." The guard taps the side of his weapon.
Paul nervously picks up his bag, departs the small chamber and is aware that Sylvie has rejoined him. The guard directs Paul to stand to one side as Sylvie is shown into the chamber that Paul has just been in. The process is repeated and again the voice declares Sylvie as clean. Sylvie grabs her bag an rejoins Paul.
Paul glances at his comms band. It shows a 3-d drawing of the craft and there's a flashing indicator showing the location of Paul's cabin. There are another three flashing spots showing where he, the guard and Sylvie are currently standing.
"Let me get you started Sir and Mam, go straight down this corridor and there are a set of stairs, well more like a ladder, at the end. Go down this to the deck below and retrace your steps in this direction again." He glances at Paul's band and says, "You Sir, are on the left and you Mam, to the right." With that his weapon resumes a diagonal stance across his chest, he turns and in the low lighting he almost vanishes, as he retreats, although occasional glimpses of him are caught.
"What a start to the journey." Paul whispers to Sylvie.
Sylvie replies, "Not one I was expecting, I can assure you. Mind you it is their craft and I suppose they have to be careful that it doesn't get hijacked."
~~~~~~~~
Ed finds it most frustrating that he cannot move his head and explore this place even further. As his sight has improved even further, he has confirmed that these oval pods contain bodies, each seems to be immersed in a liquid, some of which is clear, whilst others contain quite dark coloured liquids. Ed wonders what the significance of the liquid is. Suddenly it dawns on him, that the reason he could feel no air, when trying to breath, was the fact, that there is none. He and the others are breathing liquid! That is why there are different coloured liquids, they each represent the different atmosphere's that each species requires in order to survive. Ed wonders if they are in some sort of gigantic space craft, or have they been transported to a nearby planet and are being held for some reason.
This liquid survival pod concept poses a lot of problems regards any form of escape from this place. As soon as the pod is broken or unsealed, the liquid will escape and there will go Ed's life support. Ed's thoughts turn to the other necessities of life, how are he and the others being fed and come to that how is waste dealt with. The thought of the last one, makes him cringe, surely he is not breathing his own. No, no the thought of it!
Ed tries to focus more accurately on the nearest pod opposite him, such a vast distance away, makes it difficult for him to make out any detail. He wonders if this is done deliberately, in-case any of the beings awakes like Ed. Unfortunately he cannot make out any real detail, as this one contains a darker liquid, although the body within it, is clearly not human, having several limbs floating around in the
liquid. Suddenly something moves, higher up on the body. It is like a flash of dim light. It is an eye, unmistakeably an eye. Perhaps like Ed, the creature is waking up. Ed wonders if it has telepathic capability and whether Ed can try to communicate with it. What is he thinking, even he doesn't have telepathic capabilities. Perhaps the creature's eye opening is just an involuntary reaction.
Ed wonders again if any of his fellow passengers are around him. As he cannot turn his head, he is unable to check out the pods around him and chances are that they have been placed in adjoining pods. If only Sylvie were here, he would be able to communicate with her.
~~~~~~~~
Chapter 28 - Presence
Sylvie had tried to comm her colleagues, but had no response, they must have been delayed. Sylvie had asked several fellow passengers if they knew when the craft was scheduled to take off but no one knew.
It has been a good two hours since Sylvie and Paul had boarded the craft. Paul is in the cafeteria, waiting for Sylvie, she had told him to be here half an hour ago, yet she is still no where to be seen. Paul is quite nervous about hanging around here, he feels quite uncomfortable, with all these military types around him. They appear to be ignoring him, yet he has the strong feeling they are watching him carefully. If it weren't for the fact that he's so nervous, he almost feels like being mischievous and making movements that would make them even more edgy. But he has the strong feeling he'd be shot faster than he could explain it was a joke. Instead he keeps himself to himself and counts the seconds until Sylvie appears.