I'm really close tonight, and I feel like I'm moving inside her (part LXIX)

(Roleplay entry. Continued from Part LXIII.)

The Duchess carefully boards the Prometheus, having snuck in through the back cargo hatch, avoiding the twin lasers to either side, and the turret laser dead center ship. Once in, nothing started flaring, so she thought she was okay. She walked to the medical bay, tapping on the door.

"Lina?"

The Nephilim on the bed inhaled, turning her head. "Yeah..." Her voice sounded slightly rusty from disuse.

Emilly checked her hand unit. "Some changes, since you were at ground level," she murmured. "We have a clinic now. It's by the lighthouse. And Zack's said he's willing to watch over any wounded." She looked up. "He's really good."

Lina nodded slowly.

Emilly looked concerned. "And we found enough of Tannhauser Station to reincorporate it. Not sure what happened. We're still looking for Beta-El."

Lina nodded again.

"You can go at any time," she said. "But if you think you need more...recovery...well, we have the med bays on Tannhauser active, and the clinic. Take your pick."

"Okay..."

Emilly bit her lip.

"Can I--get you anything?"

Lina shook her head.

"Oh...okay, then, I'll just...upload the stats to STAN, and...hope you'll be up and around soon. Yeah?"

"Yeah..."

Emilly looked concerned, but quietly slid the med bay door shut. She uploaded Lina's latest readings. She seemed fine, but...She leaned in, murmuring quietly to STAN to run a full body scan. Then she left.

Lina stared at the wall after the Duchess left, processing. Finally, she fell asleep again. She was still until with a jerk, her spine arched, and a tiny silver light flew out of her, up up up up into the black. A hole in space/time opened, and the tiny light went through.

It floated in the black. It remembered the flesh that had nearly died. It remembered leaving a univeree much like this one, for one that had life and light and heat. Floating in the black, where a living universe had once been, now reduced to nothing but stillness and sub-arctic chill.

It hovered, slowly turning, until it found the fragments of the Gray Area, all fires extinguished due to the lack of oxygen. It watched the vessel pieces float in the still dark.

Then...a voice. {{Hello?}} There was a long pause, then again. {{Hello??}}

In the still, cold black, the small glowing light raced towards the broken ship.

"Ooh, crap, we're here, hmm....Hey! You! I know your tech!" It paused, waiting. "Say something!"

No sound.

The small glow flew closer, touched a section of charred, broken hull.

A loud, metallic scream--was it pain? Filled the unmoving space, followed by a hiss. Then...

{{How--the hell did this happen?}}

The small light flared. "Helloo! Are you talking now?"

Silence, then...{{Yes, but--how, and more importantly, what, happened to me?}}

"Don't worry! I'm a--well. A piece of a friend, and if she was her, I know she'll fix you up, but--I'm her, so, well, I'll do it--"

Puzzled silence. Then...{{What?}}

"--here," the light finished.

{{I'm not so sure that's a good idea,}} came the metallic voice. {{Look at me--I'm in pieces--I'm not even all here--and, could I feel pain? I'm fairly sure I would be screaming...}}

"You did!"

More puzzled silence. Then...{{What?}}

"No worries, I'll fix you, once I get a repair bay made, and then I can replicate all I need. I'll need some of your steel--"

{{Like hell you will--}}

"Sorry," the little light said. "Sorry, but--I need some to make what I need to build the replicator, to fix you." Panels began to tear off the ship, and the sound of unearthly screaming was heard again.

"Sorry--so sorry--I'll be careful--"

The metal panels tore off faster, swirling around the tiny light, sizzling beams of light cleaving the panels, reconnecting them, a dizzying, spinning dance around the decimated Gray Area, and the tiny technical sprite.

Finally, there was a floating metal floor, and a framework that the sprite guided over the nose of the ship. Sparks flew into the dark.

A choked, almost gasping, metallic voice. {{You used up over half of me--how are you going to fix me now??}}

"Well, I'm going to use dark matter--which this place is full of--and dark energy--which this place is also full of--and, well, let's just say after I'm done, cloaking will be easy for you--"

Another silence, this one seeming stunned. {{And...just how long will that take?}}

A trill of silver laughter. "Oh, until you're fixed, I guess! Sorry, time, here, it's not really a thing...Anywho, let's begin, shall we?"

{{Hey, hey, hey--WAIT--}}

===

Many weeks later, a hole in space-time opened. It was night on Gearhaven. Were anyone awake, they would have seen a small, glittering white light--the technical sprite--towing the rebuilt Gray Area. It moved off from the main shipping lanes, towing it to the center of a dark ocean, then shot straight up. Up, up, up, up, until it phased through the Prometheus, flying towards Lina's chest.

As if kissed by the prince in all the old tales, Lina gasped, and woke up when the sprite flew into her again. She looked around the med bay, the panel behind her starting to beep. Zack ran in, looking at her. A sleepy mumble made her look down, seeing Justine curled up on the medical bed next to her.

"Okay, what the hell, people, how long have I been out?!?"

(Continued in part LXX.)