Title: Goldilocks
Chapter: Prologue
Rating: PG-13 (swearwords and blood)
Word count: 780
Disclaimer: Don’t own it, don’t want it.
~
“One minute until life support failure. Return to Suspended Animation Bay as quickly as possible.”
“Fuck fuck fuckity fuck fuck.”
“Detection.”
“What the hell is it KAIRI?” I was too busy trying to stop the blood gushing out from Sora’s head. I didn’t have time for this. KAIRI wouldn’t stop her alarms though, not as long as she knew that we were still out here.
“What appears to be a small, previously undiscovered planet. Analyzing.”
“Abort KAIRI, I need you to keep life support up.” I bandaged up the ghastly wound as best as I could and started to carefully drag him to the sleeping chamber. “KAIRI how much time?”
“Approximately forty-three seconds. Forty-two. Forty-one.”
“Stop counting.” KAIRI did so and was silent for awhile as I continued to drag the seemingly lifeless body.
“Warning. The ship is being pulled into the previously mentioned planet’s gravity field. Orbit will commence shortly. Life support is failing. Please return to the Suspended Animation Bay.”
“I’m trying Kai, just… I can hold my breath.” I could probably last a minute and a half without air. I honestly had no idea if Sora could last that long.
“Now in orbit. Analyzing.”
“You just do that you stupid hunk of metal.” KAIRI would’ve normally reminded me that she was a ‘lady’ and that I should keep myself in check, however, she was too busy analyzing the planet. Maybe… I could get her to land and I could fix the life support. Hell if I knew if the planet could substation life. There weren’t any Goldilock planets in this system; chances are we’re screwed.
The purple lights KAIRI used to interact with us were flashing over head, urging me forward as I continued to drag Sora through the ship. I could feel the air get lighter. I had no idea what would’ve made life support just crap out like that, whatever it was it had taken KAIRI by surprise too. She hadn’t even bothered to tell us what had caused it to malfunction. KAIRI was programmed to be curious, and even get upset by her failures. Chances were she was on the verge of over-heating. First we got hit, then Sora when down… Now there was a good chance the two of us could die.
“Twenty seconds. One more chamber. Hurry.” Definitely over-heating, her voice was sounding high pitched.
“Calm down girl, we’re gonna make it.” I jammed my eye up against the optical scan pad, probably bruising myself in the process. “Open up Sora’s pod, I want to get him in.”
“Affirmative.” As the door whisked opened with a little ‘woosh’ sound that Sora still enjoyed playing with, I could see Sora’s flower shaped pod unfurling, its petals peeling back to reveal the small misty bed he’d be sleeping in.
“Open up mine as well KAIRI.”
“Affirmative. Ten seconds. Riku you may not make it.”
“I can hold my breath.”
“Ri-,” I cut her off with one glaring look right into her optical receptor. KAIRI must’ve recognized the facial expression and cut herself off. I carefully placed Sora into his pod. As long as he was in there he’d be safe. The tiny medical nanobots would be released into the plasma he’d be suspended in the moment those petals closed around him.
“Okay lock Sora up.”
“A-Affirmative.”
“Now is not the time to go to pieces Kai, I’m gonna need you to keep the distress signal going until The Fleet rescues us. There are four objectives; one: keep Sora and me in suspended animation; two: send out the distress signal until The Fleet salvages us; three: keep us in orbit around this planet; and four: keep intruders off the ship. You hear me KAIRI, don’t let anybody who isn’t apart of The Fleet in. I need you to stay strong, do your job and I swear to you I’ll get you back on task, okay?”
“Life support has failed.” Came the solemn words above my head. It took me one millisecond too long to digest those words, because two milliseconds later all the air in the ship suddenly started moving upwards, pulling me upward towards the vents and slamming me against the reinforced steal ceiling. I blacked out. “I tried to warn you…”
~
CONTINUE TO NEXT PAGE FOR 'BEHIND THE SCENES'
