Chapter 13
Chapter Thirteen
Dani had never considered what outer space would smell like.
If someone had asked, she might have guessed nothing.
Space was a vacuum, an emptiness, and she would assume had an absence of scent.
But as Galaxy Brides' battered transport pod broke through Earth's atmosphere, she discovered space smelled exactly like burning electrical components and Gary's pungent cologne.
"Is it supposed to be making that noise?" she asked, gripping Solar's arm as the entire vessel shuddered violently. She felt him radiating a consistent calm, and it helped her from completely losing her shit.
"Absolutely!" Gary called cheerfully from the pilot's seat. "That's just the atmospheric transfer protocols adjusting to your planet's unusual density."
"He's lying," Solar said. "Nothing is supposed to make that noise."
They were in outer space.
Outer fucking space.
Nausea churned in her stomach, and she pressed her hand to her mouth as if the symbolic gesture could keep her from throwing up.
The pod's interior was barely larger than a truck bed, packed with mismatched equipment covered in blinking lights.
What she found most concerning was the steady increase in red lights replacing green ones.
Sure, she couldn't prove that red meant bad on an alien ship, but it didn't feel like a good thing.
Another violent shudder ran through the ship. Dani's stomach lurched as the artificial gravity flickered, momentarily lifting her a few inches before slamming her back down. Pain shot through her injured ankle and ribs.
Solar's arm tightened protectively around her.
"Your technology is inadequate," he stated, glaring at the back of Gary's oversized head. "This vessel's integrity is compromised in seventeen different places."
"Eighteen now," Bob corrected as a panel above them detached completely, exposing a tangle of wires that sparked ominously. "But who's counting?"
Dani closed her eyes, trying to control her lurching stomach.
This was not how she wanted to die. The ship pitched again, sending her shoulder crashing into a protruding console.
She bit back a cry of pain. Tears rolled down her face, and she tried to draw her legs to her chest. Solar kept hold of her the best he could.
"She requires medical attention," Solar insisted, his golden light intensifying with concern. "You claimed your vessel had treatment capabilities."
"It does! It does!" Gary spun his chair around, apparently unconcerned that no one was piloting the ship. "We’ll take her to the medical bay just as soon as I find where we docked our ship. At least we know it’s cloaking works, right?”
“Your controls are smoking,” Solar stated.
"Not to worry." Gary slapped his hand on the metal console. "We have a quaternary system."
"We do?" Bob asked, genuinely surprised.
"Well, we will once you install it," Gary replied cheerfully.
Bob nodded as if that was helpful information.
The ship began to spin in fast circles, and the viewing screen made her dizzy. Gary panicked and turned back around to fly. Dani leaned her head against Solar's shoulder.
“Slow it down,” Bob ordered.
They lurched as if someone slammed on the brakes, jerking violently. Dani gripped Solar tighter. It became hard to breathe, and she felt as if she might pass out. A loud thunk sounded, jarring the pod. The hull vibrated as a grotesque scraping noise scratched along the metal exterior.
“There it is,” Gary exclaimed. “Right where we left it. And you were worried we wouldn't find it.”
The ship walls groaned, and Dani saw a hatch opening to let them off.
“All right, good friends, let’s move along,” Bob said. The air hissed violently and blue light streamed into their darker pod. “Quickly. Quickly. Plenty of oxygen on the mothership.”
Solar swept her up into his arms, and she held on tight as he walked her through the hatch onto a much larger vessel.
“The medical bay is right through that door." Gary pointed to a narrow door halfway down a corridor.
"Don’t be scared," Bob explained, as if that clarified anything. "Completely safe for most humanoids. Very exclusive technology. Very rarely any probing."
Bob made a strange wheezing noise, and she wasn’t sure if he lacked air or was laughing.
Solar set Dani on her feet, supporting most of her weight as she hobbled toward the supposed medical bay. Her entire body ached from the motorcycle crash, the cave adventure, and now their violent ascent into space. She didn't have high hopes for whatever passed as Galaxy Brides' first aid.
The door slid open, revealing a space that was much larger than the pod they had just left. Equipment that appeared to be salvaged from half a dozen different alien technologies lined the walls. A soft blue light illuminated a central examination table.
"What is all this?" Dani whispered, momentarily forgetting her pain. “It doesn’t look safe. Or sterile.”
"It is an older model but standard medical technology," Solar explained, guiding her toward the table.
Dani swallowed hard and gave a nervous laugh. “I don’t suppose they can just drop me off at an Earth doctor? Or abduct one.”
"We cannot risk them flying back. Not now. It’s too dangerous. Lie down," Solar instructed, his golden eyes scanning the various instruments. "This is much like the standard medical array on my planet, though adapted with questionable modifications."
Dani eased herself onto the table, wincing as her ribs protested. "How bad is it going to hurt?"
Solar's expression softened. "It will not hurt. Most alien cultures do not employ primitive pain-based healing techniques."
Before she could respond, he pressed a sequence of symbols on a panel beside the table. A beam of soft golden light extended from a device overhead, scanning slowly down her body.
Warmth spread through her limbs, not unlike the feeling of Solar's energy when he touched her.
The pain in her ankle began to fade, replaced by a pleasant tingling sensation.
Lasers concentrated on her stomach, and her ribs stopped aching.
Even the scrapes and bruises that covered her arms seemed to be healing before her eyes.
"Holy shit," Dani breathed. "This is amazing."
Solar nodded, studying a display that showed a three-dimensional image of her skeletal structure.
"The fracture in your fibula is responding well. Your cracked ribs are being repaired. There is a chip in the bone that lodged near your heart. A wrong impact would have caused great damage to your life. Don’t move. It is being repaired.”
"So I'll live?" Dani attempted humor, though the reality of their situation was beginning to sink in. She was on an alien spaceship, leaving Earth behind and leaving Poppy, Rowan, and Lunar to face Milano without them. And who knew where Eclipse was. She hoped he was safe.
"Your injuries are healing at an accelerated rate," Solar confirmed, missing her attempt at levity. "Though the equipment's efficiency is compromised by Bob and Gary's modifications."
The ship lurched again, sending several loose instruments crashing to the floor. The healing beam flickered but held steady.
The laser moved to her hip and concentrated on it. “I don’t hurt there.”
“An ovarian cyst,” Solar said. “It has been remedied.”
Dani didn’t want to discuss her ovaries. A beep sounded.
"Do you require products for your bleeding cycle?" Solar asked.
"You mean my period?" Dani snorted. She hadn't thought of that. Great, period cramps on an alien ship. "Any chance that device can make me skip it this month?"
She was joking, but Solar nodded seriously and touched the panel. The lasers focused on her stomach. "It is done. The lining has been removed for this cycle."
She really didn't want to discuss her lining, either.
Then a thought hit her. Dani tried to sit up, but he turned to look at her, and the intensity of it kept her on the table.
"I haven't taken my birth control pills," she said. "I'm not going to get pregnant, am I? I mean, can I? Can we even?"
"Technically, yes, I can infuse our energies to create a new entity inside of you for gestation, but I do not think this week is an optimal time to carry an offspring," he answered.
Week?
"Yeah, okay, let's not do that," she answered.
"Agreed. Though perhaps at a later time." Solar continued to study the panel.
The ship creaked and vibrated.
"Are we even going to make it to wherever we're going?" Dani asked. She hadn’t seriously considered traveling away from Earth. This all happened so fast. “What is your planet called? Zorveya?”
"Zorveya is too far away. We can’t abandon the others. We will remain in orbit until we can retrieve them," Solar supplied. "And the probability is..." He paused, his expression darkening. "Lower than I would prefer."
"Great," Dani muttered. "I survive Milano agents, cave collapses, and a motorcycle crash only to die in a malfunctioning alien matchmaking van."
Solar's hand found hers, his touch warm and reassuring. "I will not allow that to happen."
Something in his voice made her believe him.
She watched him as he studied her skeleton.
Despite everything, despite the absurdity of their situation and the danger they still faced, Dani felt safe with him.
Which was ridiculous. They'd known each other for what?
Less than a week? And yet there was something between them that transcended time.
A connection that felt both terrifying and inevitable.
The healing beam completed its cycle and retracted into the ceiling. Dani sat up cautiously, testing her ankle. The pain was gone, replaced by a mild stiffness.
"Better?" Solar asked.
"Much." She flexed her foot, marveling at the technology that had healed in minutes what would have taken weeks on Earth. "So what now? We just hang out here until they fix their pod?"