Young Writers Society

Logan~ Hallway~5:44pm

After my long shower I had a lot to do. I left my room without drying my hair so it clung to my face but I was too sick to really care. Roan was busy and Isaac was still in the medical ward, so I had many errands to attend to. This included making sure that Kat’s attacker was put under arrest. He didn’t go quietly and I had to put several guards on him.


Bar~6:00pm

Then I went to the bar where apparently the owner was interested in knowing what was going on with the ship. I told him all about the exact nature of the attack on Riggs and the attacks afterwards. I remembered how he had handled that pilot and decided that he could be more useful elsewhere.

“Do you think you can leave you bar in the hands in one of these fine ladies. It’s very possible that whoever attacked Isaac will try again and you seem like you’d be an excellent guard. I also told him to keep an eye out for anything strange and to report it to me if he found anything. I told him where to find the guards supply closet so he would have the proper weaponry.


Pilot's quarters~ 6:25pm

Once I handled that I went down to talk with the Pilots at large. I also told them to be on their guard and to watch out for anything strange. I also revoked all of their drinking privileges. I needed them all to be on the top of their game and we really didn’t need another incident like the one that happened to Kat.

They groaned, howled and threw things at me but I smiled at them and left. I felt much sicker than I did before. Commanding people to do things was not in my nature but what was I to do. Things were defiantly falling apart. Not to mention now that I was feeling sick over my job I could momentarily not be sick over Rachell.

I was on my way out from my meeting with the pilots, doing my best to avoid bottles being chucked at me when one of the pilots ran up to me.

“Is it true what happened to Kat,” she asked.

I nodded. “The pilot that did it was under custody now,” I said.

“Is she ok,” she asked.

“I think so. If you want we can go see her,” I said.

The girl pilot shook her head. "I don't really know her that well but I'll walk with you as far as the bar.

I narrowed my eyes considirng I had just banned pilots from drinking.

“What’s your name,” I asked.

She looked up at me like she didn’t really want to answer but relented. “Claudia,” she said.

“Well I’m Logan,” and I offered my hand in a handshake.

She looked at it for a moment and shook it with reluctance on her face.

“I promise I don’t bight, I prefer cooked meat” I said.

She let a small smile escape but it disappeared fast.


Medical Ward~ 7:04pm

I got to the medical ward. The Bar owner from before stood with a gun outside the door with two other guard. They checked my id and let us in.

Elle was there as expected talking with Kat.

One of the nurses came over and told me that Kat had not been seriously injured but they were going to keep her over night just in case. With that I went over to Kat’s bed. She was sitting on the edge of the bed with Elle sitting next to her. Elle looked nearly as tired as I felt her eyes were bleary and her hair was messily tied into her trademark ponytail.

The two women looked up to see me coming. “I told you I’d come back,” I said smiling at Kat.

“So he’s been arrested?” she asked.

“Yes, he’s locked away and won’t be released until he can have trial on land. Video got him pushing you into your room thing on tape so we’ll have a solid case back on earth. “

She looked relived and hugged me.

“Yeah one of your pilot friends was worried about you,” I said.

I decided to leave at this point and nodded to Elle. She nodded back and watched the two other girls talk.

I needed to tell Roan about all of what had happened of late. So I planned on hunting him down and giving him a full report. On a mission I left the medical ward.


Elle~ Medical ward~ 7:23pm

I watched the Kat for a moment after Logan left. I was happy that Logan had come to see her. The girl needed something to distract her from what happened. I had needed one after I had been raped. I n my rebellious stage I would go party every night to fight the establishment I called my parents and one night I was drugged even after being fairly drunk and taken advantage of. I had no real friends to comfort me during this time and I was glad to see Kat had Logan.

I heard a clanking noise but I wasn’t sure what it was. No one else seemed bothered by it. So I returned to reading over my notes, making sure all my letters were written how I wanted them to look. I had an odd thing about symmetry even in my hand writing. A lumpy o was enough to drive me insane.

The clanking noise persisted and I followed the sound out of curiosity. I found the source; it was coming from the one of the walls. The wall closest to Isaacs bed, he looked at me absently as I placed my ear to the wall.

“What’s on the other side of this,” I asked one of the passing nurses.

The nurse stopped and thought for a moment. “The heating system I believe,” she said before sauntering off.

The clanking noise was getting louder and I had a bad feeling.

“Everyone get down,” I screamed.

I pushed Isaacs’s bed on wheels with all my might and jumped on just as the wall exploded inwards. The bed was hurled into a flip throwing me and Isaac off.

Kat jumped to the ground as flames erupted into the medical ward. Metal shards were sent flying across the room so fast that they embedded in the bodies of slow medical staff. Curtains used to separate patients caught on fire lighting the whole room ablaze.

The guards burst in with ire extinguishers and started to put out the flames. I sat up and felt my sore arm. It hurtbut I didn’t think it was broken.

Isaac who hadn’t landed far from me sat up. “We could all be blown up today,” he said.

I sighed. “Thanks for the warning.”

Shaun Paladin; Medical Ward; 7:30pm

One of the guards stayed at the door and the other seemed to take it as expected when I rushed into the room with him. There was fire. We snatched extinguishers from the wall. The flames weren't my first priority, even as I was helping to put them out, I was scanning the room for other dangers. Stupid! Why didn't I think of that before? Better yet, why hadn't it occured to the other guard who had been in this job much longer than me. I checked him out with a glance. He was very resolutely looking at the flames. It was hotter than I'd ever felt before. Smoking! If I hadn't been so busy I might have made a joke out of that.

So what had caused the explosion? The obvious answer seemed to be a person with a bomb except that- "Is it me or is it hot in here?" I asked. Isaac shook his head in disbelief that even now I seemed to be making a joke. "I mean really hot. Really."

"There's flames, fire makes heat," the other guard grunted. Man was he slow!

"No- before that. It was hot in here. Could an over-flow of heat cause the vent to explode like that? If it could then-" We were in trouble. A bomb was one thing, that was trouble and then over with after the explosion but extreme heat in the vents?

"I think we're going to need a permanent fire crew in this room," I said, eyes shooting to the door. Anything could happen while it wasn't being guarded! A lot of attempts had been made on Isaac's life already and that was bad. I liked Isaac. He was a good patron and he was my patron and this was my bar. Yes. That's right. The ship was my bar and no one made trouble in my bar.

"Get someone down here," I told the other guard, having no idea how I'd do that myself. Radio thingys? I had one but I wasn't sure how to use it yet. "Until then, you stand here with your fire extinguisher and keep that vent cool!" He gave me a disgruntled look. I tensed, ready for a fight and fixed him with my best 'I don't want no trouble' glare. The man was clearly used to taking orders from more influential men. He backed down. I was loving it!

"Uh... is it safe to get up off the floor yet?" a woman asked cautiously. Feeling sheepish I hesitated and then offered her and Isaac a hand up.

"Let's move anything we need to the far end of the ward." The fire had already damaged some equiptment but the medical staff helped me move beds and patients down to the end closest to the door. We suddenly had a lot more patients and the bodies were taken into an adjacent room.

"I thought you worked at the bar?" I turned to the woman and realised it was the counsellor, Elle. I hadn't been to see her before but my patrons talked of her with respect. Usually.

"I own the bar and now I'm guarding it," I told her. Isaac had a slightly smug smile on his face as he watched me. I wondered if he'd seen this coming.

Claudia-Bar-7:00

“I promise I don’t bight, I prefer cooked meat” Logan said.

I grinned but then quickly made it disappear. But as I left I was feeling a notch friendlier. I went towards the counter of the bar. "Is there anything to order except for beer here?" I asked tiredly.

The barman looked irratable that I didn't 'appreciate his drinks'. "No. Take it or leave it."

"Fine, a beer, then," I said, annoyed. He handed me a bottle and I gave him a small nod.

"To getting a job soon," I said tiredly, then took a drink.

Why am I not surprised that it was crap?

Anabelle Sloane|Bar|7:00pm:

I wiped down the bar and glanced towards the door. Where was my brother? He should be back from whatever it was he'd been helping out with in the lab and in the bar by now. I shook my head and took a look at the bar. There were a lot of people still drinking.

All pilot's privileges to alcohol have been withdrawn: No Alcohol to be served to the fighter pilots. Effective Imeadiately.

I jumped when the announcement streamed into the earpiece connected to my radio. I'd forgotten about it--again. I sighed and poured someone another drink, glancing towards the female pilot just down from me. Was that Claudia?

"Great," I muttered as one of the male bartenders passed her a beer.

Giving the door another glance, I moved down the bar and tap a finger on the counter. Claudia looked up at me and frowned.

"Where's Shuan?" she asked. I shrugged and took the drink off her. She wasn't a bad drunk, but orders were orders.

"No more Alcohol for the pilots," I told her and put the beer down behind the counter. She stared at me.

"But--"

"Any pilots." My tone was firm but quiet, a deadly combination. It was like my brother when he got really mad. I looked past her and frowned, thinking I'd seen Riggs in the crowd. I met Claudia's gaze and she nodded, ordering a soft drink instead.

I looked up again and stared past her shoulder. There, at the far end of the bar, was Riggs. I watched as he blew me a kiss and then disappeared, just as someone walked in front of him.

I dropped whatever I'd been holding and grabbed onto the bar to stay upright. Claudia frowned at me and then turned to look at what I was staring at.

That was Riggs... It can't be...but it was... No, Riggs is dead... How can he be here, in the bar? I debated with myself for a moment and then met Claudia's gaze.

"What is it?" she asking, frown deepening.

"I could swear..." I began, glancing back at where the dead captain had been standing. I swallowed. "I could swear that I just saw Riggs a moment ago..."

Alexander Sloane|His Room|7:04pm:

Alex groaned and rolled over, staring up at ceiling. The girl beside me was still asleep-He'd picked her up in the bar last night. Alex thought she was one of the barmaids who worked with his sister.

Sighing, he rolled out of bed and wandered over to the bathroom, glancing back once over his shoulder to see the brunette still asleep. Grinning, Alex slipped into the bathroom and the closed behind him.

Fifteen minutes later, Alex returned to his room, fully dressed, to find his room empty and the girl gone. He sighed, running a hand through his hair. Oh well, time to go see his sister.

Glancing at his watch his eyes widened in horror. 7pm? That can't be right! He rushed to the door and off down the hall, forgetting all about the girl and only wanting to find his sister. He'd slept through the whole day and had probably missed a lot.

In the hall, he passed Captain Riggs and nodded. "Evening, Captain," he said and kept going. Riggs hadn't even seemed to notice him. Alex shook his head and laughed, ignoring the sneaking suspicion that something was wrong abroad the XX Demeter.

Alex reached the bar and strode over to where his sister stood, looking pale and like she'd seen a ghost. He grinned and sat down beside the people in front of her.

"What's the matter, Sis?" He teased. "You look like you've seen a ghost!"

Anabelle levelled a cold glare at him, adopting her usually Ice Queen facade. His smile slowly faded. She looked dead serious.

"I think I have," she told him in a quiet voice. Alex frowned at her.

"What?" he asked then waved a hand at her. "Nevermind. I just saw Riggs in the hall. He looked pretty out of it."

Anabelle gasped and grabbed his hand, making him look up at her. She was even paler now.

"Haven't you heard?" She asked, glancing around.

"Heard what?" he said, frown deepening.

"Riggs is dead," she said in a flat tone. Alex stared at her, mouth hanging open.

"But... I...."

"No," Anabelle cut him off. "He's dead. Go ask Captain Chbosky if you want further proof."

"Chbosky?" Alex choked out and looked around, noticing for the first time how quiet pretty much everyone in the bar was. "Roan is Captain now?"

Anabelle nodded and leaned on the bar, ignoring the strange looks her brother was giving everyone in the bar. How had he missed that? Well, the ship had been rocking earlier... Alex shook his head.

"I need a drink," he muttered and ran a nervous had through his hair. He should have been in the lab today, but he'd slept in, hadn't he? And missed the whole disaster that was Riggs dead and Roan Chbosky Captain in his place... But then he'd seen him in the hall...

"Sure," Anabelle said and turned away to get him a scotch.

"Damn," Alex muttered, staring down at his hands. He just had to go and get drunk, didn't he? And Riggs was dead, according to his sister...but then, how come Alex had seen the dead captain in the hall? "I think I've seen a ghost too."

Claudia

Well, to me, the both of them sounded crazy. But I pretended like I didn't care. What was up with the new laws on no alcohol, anyway? Sounded stupid to me.

I watched their conversation, trying not to seem like I was nosing in on it or anything. Then again, Anabelle had been talking to me a few seconds ago. Wasn't I still validly part of the conversation?

Of course, I didn't say anything. What did I had to contribute? I hadn't seen any "ghost pilot Riggs' floating around my area. At least, I hoped I hadn't. I shrugged and went back to my silence, still listening as they discussed this alleged ghost. Huh. Weird that the two of them had been the only ones to see him.

Not that I was sure they were the only ones. Maybe no one else was speaking up, for fear of looking crazy. I wouldn't have.

Hayden MacQuinn: Uncharted Galaxy 1610

After some silence and a bit of thought the obvious question came from him, "So where you want me to start?"

"The beginning would be nice."

Hayden shrugged, “I’m from Ireland originally, and was pretty much always in trouble. My three best friends were, O’Reilly, Seamus and Meg, we were a riotous lot.”

"The beginning being how you ended up falling in love and betraying her."

Coughing he thought back, “You have to understand something, right here, my state of mind I never realized it was betrayal. I thought as long never loved another, it would be okay.”

"Well it doesn't mean it was right, but okay. Continue."

It had been long ago indeed when everything was fine, and he was a mere lad, unsure of what to do, but having great time with his pals, “I’d known her since school, we met in Detention, she’d punch a teacher, I was just busy flirting with the girl next to me, even though it was an exam.”

"She punched a teacher?" Rachell chuckled.

“Gotta admire a girl like that, don’t ya?”

"Most certainly. When I get off this blasted ship, I think I'm taking a trip to Ireland."

“To carry on, the teacher had it coming, he called her stupid right in front of the class, just because she pointed out something simple, she claimed she couldn’t understand the maths, he asked what bit, she said the maths.”
"I woulda punched him too."

It was such a great memory to be thinking of as they would inevitably die, “Well, compared to me she was a hardass, she found it funny, as like James Bond, I didn’t give a damn about the work, but only the girls. Most people at this point called me a jerk, and yeh I was, but she laughed at my exploits.”

Wow... She actually put up with you huh?”

“Well to be honest I was shocked, here’s a girl who would fit in a gang more than likely being into me.” He smiled at the memories.

"You confuse me Hayden. But moving on..."

“Well we grew up slowly and surely, getting into more trouble, seeing and meeting new people, but we became inseparable, but one thing never struck me, until we were alone one day near the river. She wanted me, it was rare for me not to be able to read a woman, but she had kept her cards hidden so long.”

"Some women just can't be read I guess. Keep going, I'm curious."

“Without warning she snogged me hard and what followed was shock to me, I wasn’t a virgin by no stretch, but none of the girls, none of them had made me feel so alive and yet so different.”

"Awwe, that's almost sweet Hayden. Keep going," she chuckled

Hayden took a breath, “You know in a lot of ways, you remind me of her. She always was a natural leader. Yeh I forgot to mention the reason we got in trouble so much was her ideas, she made sneak into a nunnery once on a dare and bring proof back.”

Rachell started laughing. "She really made you do that? Props to her!"
“And by proof she wanted me to seduce one of the prudes, of course chose a nice one, but I swear that girl hid her cards for so long.”

"Nice...."

“It makes me wonder why did she suggest such sexual dares to me?”

"Yes, but I won't question her motives. A test of loyalty perhaps?"

It was certainly perplexing now he thought about it, “There was so much chances, but she waited until we were both like 16, then got us alone.”

"Huh, interesting..."

“She could have had me much earlier, why wait?”

"Why not wait?"

“She put me through sexual games and dares, then suddenly made her feelings known... that doesn’t make sense...”

"Women in general don't make sense Hayden. Fact of life."

“So... then if I may ask, why trust me with ya confessions?” he questioned deliberately.

She sighed. "Because I might not survive this mission. I need to tell somebody, and this might be my last chance."

“All I’m saying is ya hate me... I know it Rachell don’t deny, so why open yourself up fully to a person ya hate?”

"Because that person I hate is surprisingly the one I seem to be able to relate to. Pure, sweet irony in it's greatest form."

Finally it hit him, “You don’t hate me do ya. I think you thought you did, but now it’s more you’ve no idea what to think about me?”

She chuckled. "I suppose you could say that. I do partially disdain you. Don't forget that one."

Shrugging again he replied, “Your turn.”

Rachell Burgess, Uncharted Galaxy, 4:50pm

"Your turn," Hayden's voice crackled over the radio.

I sighed. "You really want to know then? It's depressing." In all honesty, it was depressing. I still had a hard time believing it and it had happened years ago.

"Well, my story makes me out to be an adulter, so really mines ain't so happy."

His story didn't involve death or his brother's imprisonment, but whatever. "Okay, fine. I won't start with how we met. That's not important to the story. His name was Mark and I swear he was perfect. Sweet, loyal, funny..." I grinned.

"Boy meets girl, heart stands still, years later, it all falls down.

My grin trasnformed into a frown. "No, not really actually. Slightly more tragic. Have you ever witnessed the shooting of the one you loved Hayden?" I only wished it had been a tragic break-up or one of us was caught cheating. Unfortunately there was more to it.

"You forget where I'm from Rachell... Ireland has a horrible history of violence..."

That much I knew. That much I didn't particularly care about at this point. "Yes, but what about somebody you wanted to spend your life with?Have you witnessed them shot in cold blood? The carpet turning an ugly shade of crimson with the blood of that exact someone?" Everybody
wondered why I hated dark red... They would, too. It had been an incredibly tragic end to two relationships.

"Suppose time to confess something, O'Reilly was killed the night I left for the Academy, beaten to death, it was horrible and... it was my fault. So in a manner I know because I had to identifiy the body..."

Well I hadn't known that. I didn't think it was quite the same, but it wasn't important. "Okay, fine. I'll give you that much, but to get back on topic... It was my seventeenth birthday. We had planned it like this for months now. That night he would come over and we'd be together for the first time." I smiled again despite myself. It had been the best night of my life.

"Kinda makes me wish read Meg quicker, because my first night meant nothing... sadly..."

That was almost sad. “Well to be brutally honest, it was the first time for both of us. We swore to each other we would wait. No scornful comments.” I chuckled. Had I really just told Hayden that?

He sighed, "Why would I? I feel bad my first time was with some girl... her name... I can't remember any of their names, only Meg."

I stared into the void in front of us for a while before continuing. “Well, two days after my dad died, Mark was at my house. I was bawling my eyeballs out and he sat and comforted me. My brother stormed in with a pistol and started shouting threats. Now, remember this. My brother and I had been almost best of friends. We had a great relationship. I don't even know how he found out about that night...” I trailed off, choking on my tears again.


"Was your brother maybe into you more than friends, seems little drastic to come in with gun, Father maybe but brother?"

I almost laughed at this. “No, no. He had gone out and got himself freakishly drunk with a friend. I'm guessing it was to ease the pain, he never had been much of a drinker.” He had only been drunk one other time in his life. A grad after-party, but other than that... I sighed.

"Rachell, just take a breath, I'm just got an idea... it's long-shot but all Persephone Rage fighters have a built in distress flare."

I blinked. Change of subject, and I was in all honesty, glad for that. “Well, the story isn't quite over, but that suddenly doesn't really matter!” A smile crept its way across my face. If we were close enough for them to actually see those flares, we were saved.

"Okay, remember this is a long shot, but lets see, open port..."

I bit my lip. “I'll save mine, just in case we drift any closer to the ship. You would've thought that they would see that explosion...” Oh stop it Rachell! Thinking negatively won't help. I sighed. Neither would thinking positively.

"Hmm, that's worrying,.."

I averted my stare to my scratched up button, nervously. I was going to have way worse scratches than this one by the time we were through here... I shook my head. We were in major trouble and all I could think about was a button. “That it is... shoot them anyways.” I paused. “Oh, and keep communications with all other fighters turned on, just in case.” It dawned on me that there was a slim chance of somebody already out scouting for us.

"Rachell, it was a slim chance, if I shoot it without opening the port, which is jammed my ship would explode.... I'm sorry... I really thought it hasn't been damaged!"

Of course it was damaged. Of all the places on the freakin' ship... I sighed. “Well it's not like it's your fault. Your ship exploding wouldn't do us much good either.”

"Rachell, if I knew that flair wouldn't get damaged I'd shoot it, to save ya."

He would what? I bit my lip. Did he actually just say what I think he'd said? “Hayden...” I had no idea how to reply to that.

"Look at me, I'm a failure at everything, except flying a fighter, but in the end, I've only just slowed our death."

I leaned back on my seat and closed my eyes. “You'd be surprised, actually,” I mumbled. It made no sense, but whatever. “What are the chances that they've sent somebody out after us?”

"Only one fighter could drag us back, and well it's doubtful they're worrying about us yet."

I sighed. “True, unless they did see the explosion. Which is doubtful.” I opened my eyes and fiddled with the radio. “If there's a chance that anybody is actually in a fighter right now...” I trailed off, biting my lip until it drew blood.

It's doubtful Rachell, I hate to be a downer. We have five hours until they worry because radio going wrong isn't enough to risk losing another fighter... it's so cold. maybe I can least heat my ship up."

“I know it's doubtful.” I frowned. “I wonder how much else has gone wrong since we left?” If something else was happening, I didn't want to miss it.

"I don't know, wanna continue, then once you had enough I'll continue."

I smiled again. “I'd like to get it off my chest before my death, yes.” I took a moment to remember where I had left off. “My brother started shouting and beating the crap out of Mark. I just sat there and yelled at him to stop. There was one occasion when I actually attempted to tackle him, unsuccessfully. He ended up shooting him, through the head. I have no clue how he managed to aim in his state, but he did.” I blinked back tears. “There was so much blood...”

"Shush and breath slower, just breath, I wish could do more to comfort you."

I did as I was told and continued. “You know what the worst part about all of this was?”

"He had no memory of what he did?"

“No, he actually remembered it very well—which never failed to confuse me. He threatened me that if I told anybody he'd kill me. I was a coward. I finally told a friend a few days before I turned eighteen. He got away with it for a year.” I was choking up again. It had been the most cowardice thing I had ever done in my whole life.

"You're the first to know, that I'm not who I appear, that been on my head since I joined Academy."

I smiled. “A couple hours of a near-death situation works miracles I guess.”

"Ever wish you could be nearer to a person in an impossible situation?"

I sighed. “I guess so...”

"Carry on, but if ya need to stop tell me. And I'll continue."

I closed my eyes again. “Not much left to say I guess. I don't think I've been in love since though. So yeah, your turn again.”

Captain Roan Chbosky | Captain's Quarters | Day 3, 12:20AM

Radio static. They were all just radio static. Meaningless signals mixed in with the white noise.

Ssssssssssssst...
Ghostssssssssssssssst....
Ssssssssssssssstss....
ssttssttsttststssss...
murdersssssss...
ssttsssssst....
Losttttssssss....

And without my prophet, my angel, or my safety net of being second in line, I turned off my communicator. It was midnight and the Demeter would survive until morning without me.

So along with my clothes, I cast off my anxiety and shivered as I stepped into the shower, grimacing against the sting of the glass wounds on my legs and thighs. My muscles tightened as the cold drew into my skin, cracking at the healed-over wounds and letting fresh blood run down into the drain.

And I closed my eyes, ignoring the flickering lights. Lights flicker; it's what they do. The smell of raw flesh and iron filled my nose and I did my best to ignore all the shitty sensations coming in from all directions. With my back against the shower wall, I let my body slide down until my backside was on the floor, my knees drawn to my chest. It was my safe place. No ghosts or murderers or explosions or lost pilots could find me here.

I was a ghost, too. A frozen ghost in a lost ship. A ghost ship. And I was the captain of the ghost ship.

And in my head, I imagined sailing on the great Atlantic ocean on Earth on a ship made of rotted, green wood with a delicate gossamer for a sail. And the water around the ship turned black as we sailed by. And each crewman's face was a hoary and frozen. I had two mistresses on my arms: Lady Death and Lady Hex. And the XX Demeter sailed on into the frigid wild of the north, damned in its hellish course to the desolate wasteland of the polar cage.

And something rocked beneath me.

I opened my eyes, each part of my body drawing up under the cold of the shower. I shivered and looked up at the shower head where a thermometer read 27 degrees Fahrenheit. My arms wrapped around my legs and I buried my face in my knees, doing all I could to draw myself into the radio static and be part of the soundwaves again. My left hand moved to the shower door, pushing the frosty glass to the side before reaching out for my communicator.

I flipped the device on and got nothing but white noise. There were two hollow knocks at my door, but I tried to ignore them, to lose myself in the white noise.

The knocks, ignored.

Suddenly, my ears split with the sound of twisting metal outside. There was a single crack before the groan of the steel rose above every other noise, shrieking in agony as it was split apart, rivet from rivet.

And the steel hit the floor.

My solace shattered and I scrambled out of the shower, reaching for my personal firearm before grabbing a towel for my waist. There was a footstep outside the bathroom and Roan could be stabbed by an alien rattled my brain. A low, beastly hiss rumbled in my bedroom and I flicked the safety off of the pistol, ready to kill whatever--whoever it was.

Just as I reached for the panel to open the door, a length of twisted steel pierced the 'impenetrable' armor of the door. I staggered back, blood seeping from my hand where the steel had grazed me. I ambled backward towards the shower and held my pistol at eye-level, ready to fire.

There was a beeping and the sound of the fingerprint scanner, and I was confident that I was safe-- there was no way someone without my own fingers would get through the door. But then came the access granted! beep. The door slid open, jarring where the shape of the door had been deranged.

In came a footstep into the flickering on-off lights. And Isaac took a step into the bathroom. I trembled, the gun in my hand ice cold. I only prayed I had ammo and courage enough to shoot. Isaac took a step forward and I saw his hands: two blades, the color of mercury, extended like swords. Isaac hissed and lifted one of his arms and I closed my eyes, firing off one, two, three rounds into his chest.

Isaac flew back to the floor, silver blood spilling onto the floor. He groaned and closed his blue eyes, his hands returning to their normal, human selves. The blood that spilled began to turn red and I had to look away from the horror of my best friend, dead.

And I fell onto my ass, scrambling for my communicator and hitting the distress signal.

What the hell have you done, Roan?

Hayden MacQuinn: Uncharted Galaxy – 1700
“Well, where was I... ah first time with Meg. After that we took the chance to do it in such thrilling places, places that made adrenalin rise.”

"Like where may I ask?" she asked a slightly giggle within her voice.

“In the old watermill which was a tourist attraction.” He laughed and continued, “In a campsite we went to, we got kicked out for that.”

Rachell laughed. "Oh wow. I don't know whether to be amused or concerned."

“I can tell you the Camp owner, wasn’t he was furious when he found us with no clothes on, as she wore like a sailor.”

Rachell laughed harder. "That poor man..."

“She didn’t punch him, but when he turned his eyes away from me, when his eyes wandered, she whispered, ‘Okay move it, we need to get dressed’, way she said it though, it scared him half to death.”

"You two were slightly insane huh?"

“Well, months turned into years and finally after giving me one hell of birthday surprise at my work, she then asked me as we lay in my Da’s workshop she asked fear in her voice, ‘”Hayden, I want you and no one else ever to have you, will you marry me?” I was flabbergasted to say least no jokes no flirting just pure honesty.”

"Wow...."

“After got initial reaction, I embraced her giving her a slow passionate kiss. She was crying, as we just stood there semi clothed in love’s embrace. World could have ended then and I’d been fine with it.”
"I wish my relationship had gotten that far..."

“As you know though, I ran, I was married due a kid, and what I do, enlist myself to the academy leaving her. She supported my decision, why did I run, my life was perfect?” he was actually weeping now.

"Hayden... I don't know what I can say that will possibly make you feel any better..."

Hayden pleaded, “Why would I throw it all away, why?!”

"The prospect of a new life. The hope that you could leave and return to her with something better."

“Those pieces of paper in my room were letter... I’ve been trying to writer the letter for so long... now she won’t even know...”

"I want to hug you... just hold someone and cry..."

"I think we both need a good cry." Rachell was choking up again.

“... what’s going on here... this is fast...”

"I have no idea. It's kind of creeping me out to be honest. I could have swore I hated you..."

It had dawned on him how weird this was getting, but at first Hayden was sure he’d been imaging it. But the conversation just kept getting more and more obvious.

“And... I was positive I respected you ---one reason why never tried to get with ya--- and was still pining for Meg...”

"Respect? Oh, well now I just feel guilty."

“Maybe, we should go sleep, before we say something stupid to each other.” He laughed nervously.

"That sounds like a good plan actually. Good night! Oh, and I saluted. Just thought I'd let you know since you can't really see."

What a save, he breathed, it wasn't exactly a smart move, but there was too much going on, too much confusion. Fact he'd told her so many of his secrets worried him hugely, breathing he turned down his light and relaxed breathing.

Rachell Burgess, Uncharted Galaxy, 5:01pm

I laughed. "Oh wow. I don't know whether to be amused or concerned."

“I can tell you the Camp owner, wasn’t he was furious when he found us with no clothes on, as she wore like a sailor.”

I laughed harder. "That poor man..." I wasn't lieing either. I felt excrutiating pity towards the poor guy.

“She didn’t punch him, but when he turned his eyes away from me, when his eyes wandered, she whispered, ‘Okay move it, we need to get dressed’, way she said it though, it scared him half to death.”

"You two were slightly insane huh?"

“Well, months turned into years and finally after giving me one hell of birthday surprise at my work, she then asked me as we lay in my Da’s workshop she asked fear in her voice, ‘”Hayden, I want you and no one else ever to have you, will you marry me?” I was flabbergasted to say least no jokes no flirting just pure honesty.”

"Wow...." That woman had no idea what she was bargaining for. She had obviously bit off more than she could chew.

“After got initial reaction, I embraced her giving her a slow passionate kiss. She was crying, as we just stood there semi clothed in love’s embrace. World could have ended then and I’d been fine with it.”

My eyes grew misty. "I wish my relationship had gotten that far..." I shook my head. Don't start thinking about it again. I told myself.

“As you know though, I ran, I was married due a kid, and what I do, enlist myself to the academy leaving her. She supported my decision, why did I run, my life was perfect?” he was crying!

"Hayden... I don't know what I can say that will possibly make you feel any better..." Hayden, crying? Not something I was accustomed to. The poor guy really did love Meg. Then he went and did something dumb.

“Why would I throw it all away, why?!” There was an agonizingly pleading tone in his voice.

"The prospect of a new life. The hope that you could leave and return to her with something better." It was all I could do. I caught myself staring at that same scratched button again. It seemd that my eyes wandered there whenever I was troubled.

“Those pieces of paper in my room were letter... I’ve been trying to writer the letter for so long... now she won’t even know...” He paused. "I want to hug you... just hold someone and cry..."

My stomach twisted dangerously. This was getting ot be too much. Pity and anger all rolled into one and now that. "I think we both need a good cry." I held back my tears, biting my lip. When was the last time I had actually hugged anybody? I couldn't remember. It scared me that I was willing to hug Hayden...but I was.

“... what’s going on here... this is fast...”

"I have no idea. It's kind of creeping me out to be honest. I could have swore I hated you..."

I was getting worried now. I had to be careful, I was treading on thin ice. Very thin ice indeed.

“And... I was positive I respected you ---one reason why never tried to get with ya--- and was still pining for Meg...”

"Respect? Oh, well now I just feel guilty."

“Maybe, we should go sleep, before we say something stupid to each other.” He was laughing, but it sounded nervous.

"That sounds like a good plan actually. Good night!" I saluted and remembered he couldn't see it. "Oh, and I saluted. Just thought I'd let you know since you can't really see."

So it was out. It felt nice to have somebody else know. Better that somebody understood. This whole conversation was getting messed up. Come on...They had to have seen that explosion! I bit my lip, chewing at what once was actual lip. It was more or less just bloody scabs now. Sleep isn't such a bad idea. I yawned and stretched my arms.

Isaac Vanderbilt - Hallways, Day 3, 1.37 AM

Isaac survived Roan's assassin-to-be. No problem there. He was sent to the medical ward to be treated. No problem either. Then Roan attempted to murder Isaac while the blond was in the medical ward. And after that, some damned explosion almost killed Isaac. If Elle hadn't been there, Isaac would have been as good as dust.

That medical ward was trying its hardest to murder him. But those doctors refused to let Isaac out. Something about unstable, and Isaac wasn't in good enough condition.

Isaac realized they were right when he tried to leave and got caught. His reflexes were slower than usual, and he just couldn't run as fast as he used to. His injuries still hurt whenever he moved too much.

But that didn't mean he would give up. It just meant he needed to wait for the perfect moment - early in the morning, when the doctors were laziest.

Isaac slipped out of the ward early in the morning, while no one was around to scold him. While Elle was asleep and the night-shift doctors grabbed a drink at the bar during their break. It wasn't difficult for Isaac to leave, and it was still easier to slip into his room and change back to his old clothes. That way, anyone who saw him would think he was discharged.

Besides, Isaac needed to talk to Roan about the Roan-Riggs entity that had come to murder the second-in-command.

The hallways surprised Isaac by being quiet as hell. As if no one dared to come out when usually there were a handful of fighter pilots screwing off, stinking of alcohol and blindly stumbling around.

Isaac paused outside Roan's door. This wasn't very smart - in fact, it bordered on suicidal. But Isaac had to know, had to understand if it was Roan who tried to kill him back in the medical ward.

Of course it wasn't Roan. Roan wouldn't - not after all that crap Roan went through just to ensure that the older soldiers weren't manipulating Isaac. Roan wouldn't hurt Isaac, would he?

No. He wouldn't. And Isaac was a terrible person for even thinking twice about it.

Isaac knocked on Roan's door. From outside the room Isaac faintly heard the sound of rushing water. A bath, this early in the morning? He opened the door a crack. Drops of silver liquid painted the floor, leading up to the bathroom. Or maybe it led away from the bathroom.

Isaac knelt down and touched the liquid. Thick and sticky, with a coppery scent. Almost like blood, except it was silver and it was cold as ice.

A chill ran down Isaac's spine and he shuddered. What the hell was this? Some weird chemical, or some creature's blood? Was Roan all right?

The speaker in Roan's room buzzed to life, and Isaac jumped when it announced what it did. Logan's voice rang loud and clear, although it sounded a bit broken.

"Uh...I really don't know how to say this. Silence, so awkward, so solemn. But... Logan swallowed audibly and in that brief moment, it occurred to Isaac that Logan being the one to announce something didn't quite click. The captain always made the announcements. Look. You're probably wondering why Roan isn't the one - That's not right...We've all lost a - No, that's not it either...

Isaac would have throttled Logan if he could. How hard could it be to spit something out?

Look. I'll just say it, all right? It's not easy, and Roan's kind of broken up - I mean, I'll cut to the chase. We lost a valuable member of our crew today.

...Someone died?

We're - I'm sad to announce this, but Isaac Vanderbilt is no longer with us.

What?

Isaac was...dead? But no, he was alive. Or was he? Isaac scrambled out of the room in a daze. Just because he was missing they thought he was dead? The hallways were quiet, yet alive. Something like a buzzing sound filled the air. Or maybe that was just Isaac.

The medical ward - he had to get to the medical ward. He had to get there and try to figure out what the hell just happened.

Under no circumstances did missing for a few minutes equal dead. And Roan. Where in the world was that bastard? The speakers came to life again, whispering everything and nothing at once. Isaac caught a few words in his dazed state.

Senators...request...trial...Chbosky...murder...Vanderbilt.

And Isaac froze at the moment, sank to the cold, cold floor, buried his hands in his hair and tried to keep his sanity intact.

Roan tried to kill him a second time. And this time he...succeeded?

Isaac shook his head. No no no no no. That wasn't right. Roan couldn't have killed Isaac because Isaac was alive as proven by Isaac sitting in the hallway trying to make sense of just what brand of fuckery had taken over the ship.

The trial.

He could get his answers at the trial. Damn it. His wounds hurt like crazy, and he felt a bit light headed but he was going to get to that stupid trial even if hell barred his way.

Elle~ Medical Ward~ Day 3~ 1:37 am

The medical ward was ridiculously hot now. The guards had checked around and deemed the half of the medical ward safe. I was dead tired so I didn’t care and fell asleep in the seat next to Isaac. I was woken up by a blurry announcement over the intercom. I was half asleep but it sounded like Logan. This didn’t seem to fit in my head. Logan was a type B personality type. Making an announcement to so many people was not part of his personality. I questioned why Roan wasn’t making the announcement.

It all seemed to click when he said.

We're - I'm sad to announce this, but Isaac Vanderbilt is no longer with us.

I looked down and Isaac had escaped from his bed. I felt my stomach jump nearly out of my throat. I stood up and the world spun around me. I just started running only catching snippets of the rest of the announcement. When I entered the main hall it was pandemonium. It seemed like everyone had left their rooms and now lined the walls. I elbowed my way though and I pushed my way into the Brig where Logan sat surrounded by body guards. The guards condensed around him.

“Ms. we’re going to have to ask you to leave,” one of the guards said.

“Why?” I snapped.

“Three people in command have been compromised we cannot allow any harm to come to our fourth.”

“What am I going to do claw him to death with my nails while a dozen guards watch?"

Logan nodded at the guards. “Leave us and makes sure everyone is in their room for the time being.”

“But sir…”

Logan sighed. “Just go,” he said.

The guards passed by me and gave me a look saying “you hurt him we’ll kill you.”

“So it’s true?” I asked.

He nodded. “I went to see Roan about the pilot that raped Kat and some other logistics and I found Isaac dead. Things simply progressed from there.”

“But Roan?”

“I’m as shocked as you but Roan even admits to doing so,” he paused. “I need you to talk to Roan and get from him exactly what happened and you can judge his state of mind.”

I nodded. “What about you Logan? You look…bad.”

“Another person in a command position was killed, the heating system is broken, the crew is becoming less and less cooperative, and we’ve lost two pilots. All of which I have to now deal with.”

I noted his voice faltered on the word pilots.

He gave a small nervous laugh. “So no I’m not okay but I’ll live.”

I realized something at that moment. Logan never met with me before because he bottled up all of his negative feelings and I had a feeling they would crush him with the added stress. He defiantly needed someone to talk to. Although I doubted he’d ever talk to me.

“Logan…”

He looked up at me.

“I don’t want to see you burn yourself out. So find someone you trust and open up to them. Your tasks won’t seem as daunting if you have someone to confinde in.” I started to leave. By the way, that’s a doctors order.” I smiled at him and he smiled back.

Hayden MacQuinn: Dreamland – Time Unknown

Being back in Ireland was so great; the ‘Local’ was still as he remembered it, Meg was still a mystery within a mystery and he knew now to not go to the Academy in the future – though it had never occurred to him- . An insightful dream made him realize what his life would be like.
Drinking to good times, he gave Meg a nookie, as she laughed her smile ringing out in a glorious harmony.
O’Reilly and Seamus were chuckling and having an arm wrestle, while other hand held their beer.
Smiling he watched all three of them, Meg red hair, like deep fire, enchanting and yet he would never do anything. After knowing her for so many years it was different.
O’Reilly spoke suddenly, “Hey Hayden, check out that sweet thing, in the corner?”

Turning he saw Rachell, wait... he knew no one called Rachell, yet he knew instinctively he knew her.

He advanced over, O’Rielly and Seamus hooted and whistled like wolves, but where were the rest of the people in the bar? Meg ran over to him quickly and whispered leaning close, “Be back soon Bond, I’ve got something to tell ya.”

Nodding he walked over, she looked lost the mysterious Rachell, how did he know her name? The bar blurred as if it was fake, and he appeared in a house where the girl was now with two men.

“She’s my fucking sister asshole, I warned you to stay away from her!”

The girl pleaded, “Calm down please, both of you!”

“I love her dude, I really do, please drop that gun...”

Hayden watched this argument, and wanted to jump in but something yelled stay. The girl was crying as the trigger was pulled.

She then swung round and said, “You weren’t here, get out my mind!”
Back to the bar, the lights and rowdy atmosphere and Meg pulled him away but the girl followed, yet Meg said nothing. The noise subsided as they left with the guys cheering boisterously.

“Hayden, you had a path here, you made a decision. This day I wanted to tell ya how I felt, but I waited years later.”

“I don’t understand this is reality, I’m sure of it.”

She acted as if she hadn’t heard him, “This day I could have had ya, but I waited Hayden, I loved you, I still do more than anything, but because of my fear I reacted too late and ya fled.”

“But this makes sense; I’m not going anywhere Meg.”

Again she ignored him, “Rachell, is a chance for ya---“

“But who is she?”

“This has all been, and what you witness now is roads where it went to hell.”

This made no sense, but he knew Rachell, but he couldn’t think how.

“Embrace it Hayden, don’t fuck this up, it’s not often you get a second chance... I’ve moved on long ago... long long ago...”

Wedding bells rang and faded as scenes flashed forward and nothing made sense just then he heard a sob and woke up.

Rachell Burgess, Dreamland, time unknown

I yawned and took a quick glance around the bar. Wait. When did I get here? How did I get here? I was standing alone in a corner, leaning against the wall. My gaze rested on a younger version of Hayden, drinking with a couple of friends and some girl with fiery red hair. I tried to remember how I knew him, but I couldn't.

One of his friends gestured towards me, saying something I couldn't quite hear and Hayden turned. His face went gaunt when he saw me. He got up and took a step towards me, his friends whistling and hooting at me like beasts. I glared at them. The girl got up and walked quickly towards Hayden, starting to say something to him.

I shook my head, trying to figure out what was happening. Never had I been here, or as far as I was concerned, had I met Hayden. Yet somehow I knew him...

The bar blurred suddenly, slipping away. I was in my living room with-My fear got the better of me, I was back here. In the room with Dustin and Mark. Dustin had his gun raised, shouting. It took me a moment to focus on what was being said.

"I warned you to stay away from her!" I stared at Dustin in horror. This I knew had happened before. My whole body trembled. No, no, no! I needed out!

"Calm down! Both of you!" I pleaded, tears coming to my eyes. Maybe this was my chance to change things? Make them right again.

"I love her dude, I really do, please drop that gun!" Dustin was begging with a drunk man.

Hayden was in the corner, I could see him out of the corner of my eye. What the-how had he gotten here? The gun fired and I screamed. I spun around to Hayden, needing somebody to scream at. "You weren't here! Get out of my mind!"

We were back at the bar, my body still trembling. I ended up following Hayden and the girl, the girl didn't say anything. Somehow I knew what was going to happen here.

“Hayden, you had a path here, you made a decision. This day I wanted to tell ya how I felt, but I waited years later.”


“I don’t understand this is reality, I’m sure of it.” Hayden was delusional, this wasn't reality. At least I hoped it wasn't. I had no clue where I was, who any of these people were...other than Hayden.

“This day I could have had ya, but I waited Hayden, I loved you, I still do more than anything, but because of my fear I reacted too late and ya fled." She acted like she hadn't heard him.

“But this makes sense; I’m not going anywhere Meg.”

Again she ignored him, “Rachell, is a chance for ya---“

“But who is she?” Who was I? I was... Okay, so I couldn't really answer that question either.

“This has all been, and what you witness now is roads where it went to hell.” I was in the past? That didn't make sense either...

“Embrace it Hayden, don’t fuck this up, it’s not often you get a second chance... I’ve moved on long ago... long long ago...”

Wedding bells chimed in the background before everything started to fade.

I woke up, startled and trembling. I was back. In this stupid fighter on this stupid mission. I let out a sob. It had been a dream, all of it had been a horrible dream.

Sorry about the delay, Vernon. There have been some crazy distractions!

Shaun; 1:50am; The Trial

It was about to begin and I still didn't know what to feel. I wished that I felt empty. I wished that... but what use is there in wishing? If I could wish I wouldn't waste it on such futility, I'd wish him alive again. I felt the absense. Isaac was... he was gone. I'd considered him a friend and he was gone and another great man was on trial for his murder and I was to serve as a witness? It was insanity.

"You was the last man to see Isaac before the event. Can you confirm this?" I swallowed dryly and tried to control myself. I didn't want to defile Isaac's memory but damn it, I wasn't letting Roan take the fall for this, guilty or not. It was ironic that part of me believed Isaac would understand. Understand me defending his murderer? Crazy but just possible.

"Roan and Isaac were best friends, there wasn't-"

"Could you just answer the question please?" And suddenly I found it, some fragment of myself, a half forgotten note strangled out of tune but just recogniseable. I smiled, I charmed, I met the eyes of the court.

"I'd like to speak in my own time." I lifted my eyes to Logan and maybe he saw something in my gathered confidence because he nodded. I smiled suddenly and burst into animation.

"Did you know Isaac had this little worry book he'd carry around with him?" Of course they did. "He was a bit of a prohpet you see. Well actually I'm no expert on the subject but he always seemed very reliable to me. Right, so. I was standing guard..." I faltered, recalling that I had let him down. I looked helplessly at the gathered crew, the people crowding at the doors, trying to listen in, all the guards, the officials. I even thought I glimpsed Isaac's face in the crowd. Drawing a hand down my face, I dropped my disguise.

"I was positioned as part of a new guard at the medical ward. I stayed until Isaac seemed to be sleeping. It was about half one. He must have got up and left not long after, I... he didn't say anything to me but... I knew Isaac. About as well as anyone other than Roan- and- he's smart but paranoid. If Isaac thought there was even the slightest chance that Roan might harm him, the tiniest slip of a chance, he would not have gone to see him. Whatever happened was an accident, it wasn't Roan, you can't lock him up for this, you can't!"