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Barreling toward the flicking library front, our engines gave up the ghost and we drifted forward under our momentum.
“Computer!” I bellowed. “Release the pods! All of them!”
“Pods released,” Computer said.
The alien creatures would skim across the ground and awaken in what would look like a warzone.
The fake library rushed up fast until it filled the entire screen.
“Brace for impact!” I yelled.
I grabbed the console with both hands. Alice did the same with her own.
We smashed into the holographic bubble generator and I had no idea if we would ever open our eyes again.
Sparks hissed in blossoming flowers from the computer terminals. Acrid smoke issued from singed wires and burning consoles.
I climbed to my feet. My balance was off and I slipped, falling to the floor. I waited for a moment on my hands and knees before regaining my balance.
“Computer,” I said, my voice heavy with husk. “Locate Alice.”
There was no response.
“Computer,” I repeated. “Locate Alice.”
Computer didn’t respond.
He couldn’t respond. He was off-line.
I pressed a hand to a broken console. “Farewell, my old friend.”
I moved up onto my feet for a second attempt. This time, it worked. I wiped the blood from my forehead where I suffered a gash.
It didn’t matter. The only thing I could think about was Alice.
I shuffled across the deck. It was hard to match it with how it had once appeared. I reached the diagnostics terminal. The weapons systems station should be right next to it.
But it wasn’t there. The terminal had snapped off.
When we crashed, she’d been holding on tight to it.
Then where was she?
It must have come off when we smashed into the building.
No…
I waved at the smoke as I moved forward. The screen was black and shards of glass lay strewn across the floor.
And there she lay, still clutching the terminal close.
I picked the terminal up and tossed it aside as if it weighed nothing.
She lay in a heap. I lifted her into my lap and rocked her gently.
“Computer. Check for vital signs—” I said, before remembering he was already offline.
I pressed my fingers to her neck and was relieved to feel a pulse. It was strong.
