Page 4 of HaL

When I was little, everyone assured me that I would outgrow my sensitivity to the world around me. Instead, it only became worse as I got older. Animals, detergents, fragrances, pollen, grass—it seemed as though everything could trigger a reaction. Sometimes even something as innocent as a hug could leave me covered in a rash because of whatever was on someone’s clothes.

It affected more than just my ability to go outside. It affected my relationships and the kind of life I wanted. I was always drawn to the rough, outdoorsy type. The guy who wanted to hike, camp, explore, and spend an entire day outside. Yet those were exactly the things I often couldn’t do. It was hard to build a relationship when simply being around someone could make me sick and being in and out of the hospital made dating more than difficult.

I wanted the ordinary things everyone else seemed to take for granted: to lie beneath the stars, walk barefoot through the grass, breathe in the rain, hug someone without worrying about what would happen afterward, or to simply go wherever the day took me.

For so long, it felt as though the world was happening just outside my window, and I was forced to watch it from a distance.

All this time, I’ve been rubbing my arms absentmindedly, thinking it was the cold, but no, I now have small hives breaking out all over me. Just as I notice them, my stomach cramps, and I barely make it to the nasty hole in the corner before everything I just ate comes back up.

Dry heaving and lightheaded, I fall back and as my chest tightens, I start to once again struggle for every breath. For a second, I wonder if it would just be a kinder fate to simply stop fighting and let myself smother. But just like every other time my body decides I’m its enemy, after a few minutes I feel my chest loosen as my thoughts calm down.

Shaking all over, I drag myself away from that stinking hole to the other corner of my cell. My nose is tucked into my own shirt, and with my eyes closed tightly, I try to filter the smells that are keeping my sinuses a mess.

Exhausted and weary, I must have dozed off for a second because a vibration on my wrist startles me awake. Wiping my eyes, it takes me a minute for my mind to comprehend that there is a small, holographic person standing on my communicator. My heart hits my throat, and it takes everything I have not to yell out in excitement.

“DaR?!”

“No, my name is SiN, but I am the good guy here.”

“Who the hell names their kid SiN?”

“Long story and we don’t have that much time Dawn, so listen up. I am following behind the Korgon ship you are on, but my ship is cloaked. Even though I wish I could barge in here and rescue you myself, there is only one of me and about eleven of those four-armed bastards on board. I am good, but those odds are not in my favor, or yours if I get caught. Destiny and EvO are on their way, but I fear that the moment they see her on their scans, they will either use you for leverage or kill you outright. So, without further ado, we need to get you out of here as quietly as possible. Can you read a schematic?”

“Yes. ANDI taught me.”

“Good. I’m going to upload the ship’s multi-floor layout and mark the route you’ll need to take. I would have contacted you sooner, but your communicator is nearly dead, and I needed their ship to be closer to the habitable planets in this sector near the Void. It does us no good to get you out of your jail if you don’t survive the escape.

I’m not going to give you false promises or guarantees, Dawn. What you’re about to do is far more dangerous than I have time to explain. But before I send you the route, you need to understand something: you might actually be safer in this cell than you will be out here.

I don’t know how they’ll react. I don’t know what they’ll do to you if you’re caught. And I can’t promise I’ll be able to get you out a second time.”

“They’re not going to catch me, but if you can’t come get me, at least tell me where I am risking my life to get to.”

“There are escape pods near the loading dock. Two of them still have enough charge to get you out, but barely. Look for the small green light above the entrance; that’s how you’ll know which ones are operational.

And listen carefully … those pods were built for Korgons. They’re much larger than you are. Strap yourself in before you hit the eject button. If you don’t…” He pauses. “You’re going to be thrown around inside that thing.”

“Back up a second. Let’s just say I make it there, crawl inside, and get strapped in … then what?”

“There is a huge, flat raised disk on the console that should be right next to the seat. You will need to push it all the way down, and it may take all your weight to engage it.”

“How do I do that if I am strapped in?”

“You are really going to have to get creative. Once I see the pod launch, I’m going to start covering your escape with cover fire while Jade, my mate, locks onto you with the tractor beam. If something happens and we lose you, the pod will go to the closest habitable planet. We will be there as fast as possible to retrieve you. Just stay with the pod if you can.”

“So let me get this straight … You want me to walk through this ship where these four-armed, bad-smelling monsters can possibly find me at any moment? Then, I locate a working escape pod, tie myself to a chair and use all my weight to get it to launch, after which you may or may not catch me before I crash into an unknown planet? Then, I’m supposed to sit around and wait for someone to save me once again?”

“Pretty much.”

“Awesome plan … can’t wait to experience it! When do we start?”

“You’ll be on your own once I open the cell door, Dawn, so make sure you’re ready when I give the signal. I wish there was another way to do this. However, if you don’t get off this ship and the Korgons realize someone is tracking them, they will fold space, and I may never locate you again. We know who bought you, and even though I’d love to have the proof that he accepted you, I am not willing to put your life at risk to achieve that.”

“Okay, I’m ready, but I swear if I die, I am going to haunt somebody.”

“Well, I’ve had enough of that in my lifetime, so let’s get you out of there in one piece. Right now, all the corridors are clear as most of the Korgons are asleep, but there is still a guard on each deck. They have exceptional hearing, so you are going to have to be very quiet.”

Suddenly, he’s gone, and in his place is a screen with clearly marked lines. His voice almost makes me jump.