Chapter 6
BUK
All rising, I have observed Briar looking off into the distance, staring out at nothing, and I wonder what has her in such deep thought.
My own are restless, as the dream I had last darkness seems to be on repeat in my mind.
My brain must not have wanted to let go of the happiness or the feeling of Briar in my arms, even after the event was over.
Because I no sooner closed my eyes, than she appeared before me in that gorgeous dark purple dress that highlighted her every curve and the length of her long legs with each and every step as she walked toward me.
In my dream, there were no others around, only the two of us, and my eyes devoured her beauty.
Bright blue eyes flickered with her inner fire and luscious, thick black hair touched the ends of her fingertips as it swayed behind her with each step.
I tried to move toward her, but my body would not obey.
She reached out her arm and gestured for me to join her, but I couldn’t move.
Just as I freed my legs, the scene changed and shadows suddenly surrounded us.
I could hear her calling my name, but no matter where I looked, I only caught a glimpse of her out of the corner of my eye.
A sound had me turning abruptly and I fall to my knees next to her broken body.
Grabbing her up in my arms, Briar is unusually cold and ice crystals hang heavily on her long eyelashes.
I shook her gently, but she did not respond; her inner light has been extinguished, leaving me here in the darkness alone.
Panicked, I screamed out her name, only to sit upright on my sleeping platform.
It took a tic for my mind to realize where I was.
Grasping my head in my hands, I must force my breathing to calm and for once, I am glad to awaken from a dream that seemed much too real at the time.
Needing to see her, I appear at our usual meeting spot with much too much time to spare.
Each tic seems to be twice as long as I stand there impatiently.
Of course, this would be the rising she is running late.
But her smile loosens the knot that my heart had been tied in since I had awakened.
However, in the back of my mind, a sense of foreboding still haunts me.
Each rising I crave her more, but I do not know if she feels the same.
I am afraid to act upon my feelings further because her words and actions confuse me.
She says I am her favorite, but that can mean so many things.
Even though I crave more, I would rather be near her always than do something unwanted that would make me lose her friendship altogether.
Grabbing one of the large crates from the storage pod, I carry it back into the main living area, only to notice Briar has lowered all the sunshades in this area and is humming to herself as she cleans their large coverings.
After thirty-one pods, we have settled into a routine.
While she cleans a specific location, I unpack the items ordered for that spot.
Once the area is tidied to her liking, I start bringing in and placing things where she instructs me.
Only to move the larger items several more times until they are in the ‘right spot’.
Even though she is particular, I will admit when Briar is finished, the pod transforms from an empty shell into a home.
Even though we started later than usual, we have managed to clean and partially furnish three of the main rooms. The cargo bots have been steadily delivering more items to the lower lift while I move them into the upper areas.
This pod is located further into the Timbers than most others, likely because Vedece wanted a more private spot.
Unfortunately, when I went to bring in the bottom of the large sleeping platform earlier, I heard a rattle and found that several rivets were not inserted correctly.
Once MeK returns to duty, I will have to inform him, as they must be removed manually.
I have just popped the lid off another crate when I hear Briar yelling from the other room.
“BuK honey, do you know if the maintenance bots figured out what was going on with the hot water or not? Twice now I’ve gone into the bathroom to get fresh water only for the cold to work.
I mean, water is water, but my fingers are freezing.
And the lights are not working in any of these upper rooms either. ”
“I saw one of them working on the pod closest to us. It may be a piping issue. I have already sent a work order for the lights. I do not think they have fully energized the pod yet; they may need approval from the Timbers on this new design before going any further. Let me comm ANDI and see if he knows anything about it.” I click my comm unit, “ANDI, can you inform us on the status of the hot water and power in pod thirty-one?”
All I hear from the receiver is static. I look up at Briar and she frowns just before she starts rubbing her arms. Suddenly, the air feels charged like it just got heavy, and instantly I can see my breath.
“BuK, what’s going on?”
Walking past her, I hit the viewer shades only to be shocked at what I see outside.
The world that has been bright all this time is suddenly unnaturally dark.
Briar walks up beside me, and before either of us can say a thing, my comm unit starts blaring.
Instinctively, I pull Briar close when she jumps.
“SHELTER IN PLACE! Instructions to follow!”
Briar’s eyes are large as she looks up at me, “What the hell, BuK?! We can’t stay here, especially if the temperature keeps dropping.
There are only a few basic items in this pod so far; the bots just started bringing things to this location.
Hell, I don’t think they’ve even hooked up the heat yet. ”
“In that case, maybe we should head out before whatever is happening around us gets worse.” I go to the door only to find it locked. I hit my comm unit, “ANDI! We are stuck inside the half-finished housing pod closest to the Timbers, and the locking mechanism is jammed. Can you help us?”
“SHELTER IN PLACE!” is the only response I get back, and it is not even in ANDI’s voice. Before I can say anything else, the comm clicks back on, and I am glad to hear it is ANDI’s voice until I hear what he has to say…
“All occupants of Ethra, unseen circumstances have occurred in the surrounding atmosphere, blocking most signals in and out of Ethra. From what my sensors can detect, a large mass was ejected from the Nebula, and it is now passing between Etherium and all its moons. Due to its size, it is blocking all the sunlight as it moves through. If my calculations are right and it keeps moving at this speed, it will take four complete rotations before it passes. But that is not the worst of it; few things outside the pods will survive this sudden drop in temperature, which is why the pods went into immediate shutdown as shelter-in-place was issued. At this time, I cannot revoke that order as the mass is also interfering with my signals. Also, be advised that I will lose complete contact within the rising; please take all available measures to secure your residence. I am seeking help from a nearby sector, but I cannot promise they will arrive in time to assist. May the Lord of Light protect you…”
ANDI’s voice once again statics out. Instantly, my mind starts categorizing what we do have.
“Briar, I need you to go through all the crates in the back area and bring everything up here that you think we might need. If the temperatures keep dropping, I am going to have to find a way to seal up one of these rooms.” Looking around, “I believe this one connected to the refresher is the best choice.”
Glancing outside, the ground already seems to have a light frost settling on it, and I could have sworn I saw a few leaves falling from the Timbers above, but the lighting is so dim I am not sure.
Suddenly, the entire pod shakes as wind whistles around its sharp edges, bringing with it another temperature drop.
Going down to the lower level of the pod, I try the opening there only to find it is also locked.
“FRACK!” I whisper loudly as I try not to show Briar how worried I am.
Neither of us can handle extremely cold temperatures, and it feels like it is getting colder with each tic.
Looking around, I try to figure out what I will need in this area before sealing the outer doors.
Thankfully, the internal seals seem to be working properly on the lower levels.
Gathering a few tarps, I head up to the main floor.
Just as I start to press the button to seal the door shut, I hesitate.
If it gets cold enough, we might be trapped if all the entrances are sealed, and I am not willing to take that chance.
By the time I get back to the main room, Briar has a pile in the middle of the floor and is cutting a hole in one of the small rugs.
“BuK, I found a couple of rugs we can use as makeshift coats, and another one we can put on the floor, but that was about it.”
“What about food?”
“I haven’t told the cargo bots to bring any yet, as the kitchen area hasn’t been cleaned. I order everything we need, room by room. It just makes it easier to keep up with all the crates that way, so there is nothing in there.”