ATTENTION, EMERGENCY PROTOCOL INITIATED. I REPEAT, EMERGENCY PROTOCOL INITIATED.
As it turns out, one of the machines in Sector 2 has suffered severe damage. Fortunately, it is not an extremely vital part of the ship, but the prospect of arriving on Fendaar unharmed and in short time is becoming more and more improbable.
As I am one of the highest ranking mechanics on the ship, I was occupied during most of the cycle with reversing the worst damage.
As we mended the machinery, we discovered a far more urgent problem: The previously damaged outer hover engine has now come completely shut down, and as a consequence, the SIIR Noxos will steadily become slower, until we will be trapped in the middle of an hostile system with no prospects of receiving help, as we would still be far too far away to contact a ground station on any nearby planet with our communication systems.
There was one way to mend the hover engine into a barely working state, but it would require someone to approach from the outside, which would, in normal circumstances, already be extremely dangerous, and in a state like this, it was highly unlikely that the person performing the repair would come back alive. After a few moments of debate, we decided it would be best to request to speak with the Vitrichl and the rest of the crew to eludicate our situation.
I described the problem in as much detail as possible and informed the crew of our inevitable impending death, to put it shortly.
"So, basically", the human spoke up. "If noone goes out there to fix the hover engine, we‘ll stop moving eventually and then we‘ll all die either of starvation or of running out of oxygen, or whatever you all breathe."
"Yes, if you desire to voice it in that fashion", I affirmed her statement. "Unfortunately, it is way too dangerous for any of us to go out there, as the survival chances are close to none", I eludicated further. "Possibly, we could still make it far enough to be within communication reach with a nearby planet, but that is also highly unlikely."
Kade pressed his hand against his head as he sat up. He was trying to control his breath. He could still see it. The distorted images of that man, flashing lights and prison bars. It had been a long time since he had nightmares about what happened all those years ago.
It still terrified him.
Slowly he breathed in and out. It took a while before his heart stopped hammering against his chest.
When he finally stopped trembling, he slowly got out of the bed and walked over to his closet and looked for his medicine. When he finally found it, the bottle was empty. With a groan he threw the bottle in the trash.
This was not going to be a good day.
Anything that started with a nightmare, then a headache and no pills, was not going to be a good day. As long as it didn’t get any worse. Then maybe he might make it through the day without snapping someone head of, or make a complete mess of everything.
Taking a deep breath he started to get ready for school. He could feel hit chest tightened. It was going to be a difficult day, but he needed to get through it so that he could make get to the pharmacy.
Knocking at the door startled him and Kade almost dropped his cellphone where he was getting ready to call Killian.
“You finished, Kade?” a voice asked from the other side “We should get going”
Kade breathed out, feeling his heart hammering against his chest. For a moment it felt like he couldn’t breath.
“Kade? You there?”
“Killian..” he said, clenching one hand into a fist as he picked up his phone with the other “Come on in”
The door creaked as it opened, causing Kade to flinch at the sound. He could feel a memory itching at the back of his mind. Something that he did not want to remember.
“Hey, you alright?” Killian asked, leaning against the door frame “You don’t sound so good”
Kade just glanced at him. “I’m fine” he said “Stop worrying about me”
“Alright then” Killian said “Grab your stuff and let’s get going”
“Yeah, just give me a sec”
“We have all the time in the word” Killian said and glanced down at his wristwatch “Right up to ten minutes”
Kade snorted and grabbed his earphones. “Let’s go” he said and walked out, pass Killian.
The other guy watched him for a moment before he nodded and followed, closing the door behind him. “You do realise that when you are in a bad mood Bell and I suffers because of it?”
“I’m not in a bad mood, I’m just...” he pause and shook his head “It’s nothing”
***
“We’re doing what?” Kade asked slowly, not sure if he just hear correctly.
“We are doing a hostage, kidnapping and torture situation” the instructor said, watching Kade with a frown “Do you have a problem that Mister Kade?”
Kade swallowed and shook his head. “Not particularly” he muttered.
“Good, then please do not interrupt me again”
“Sorry Sir” Kade growled under his breath and Killian smacked his shoulder and shot him a warning look.
“Stop it” he hissed.
Kade just rolled his eyes.
“What is wrong with you today?” Bell asked where she stood on his other side “You’ve been jumpy, flinching and glaring at everything and every one”
“I said it’s nothing” Kade said, as he started rubbing his wrist “Now stop asking stupid questions”
“They are not stupid, Kade” Bell said and took his arm, forcing him to turn towards her “Kade you are not alright, now what is going on?”
“Back of, Bell” he said through clenched teeth.
Bell breathed out and let go of his arm. “Alright” she said “But please, promise me that you’ll say if you need any help, don’t try and do things on your own “
Kade nodded, but did not say anything else. Now they just waited for the instructor to finish with his instructions.
For a moment Bell just watched Kade. The last few days he’s been slightly off. Today seems to be the worse, he looked pale, tired and jumpy. And distracted, very distracted.
For a moment Kade closed his eyes, rubbing his hand over his face.
He had a bad feeling about this training session. It was going to go wrong, he just knew it. With the direction that they’re taking this in, he had a feeling that he’s going to suffer.
“You will be divided into three groups, each taking a scenario. The hostage scenario will be Gunter, Heila, Polla, Yana, Oppa, Mors and Bin” the man said and motioned for them to follow another instructor “Next is the torture scenario. Killian, Trim, Kesly, Beck, Riley, Kade and Bell”
Kade stiffened visibly, but did not say anything.
“Are you alright with this?” Bell whispered at Kade.
He did not look at her, just nodded slightly and started walking. The group followed after their instructor while most chattered softly.
Kade was the only that did not say anything.
***
For a moment Kade froze, staring at the scene in front of him. His hand started trembling, the headache flared and he stepped back. He couldn’t take it any more. They’ve been given turns to be torture victim.
The scenario was made to test how long they will last. Even though to torture was not real, the test was brutal. It drove Trim to tears after four hours, Beck broke the rules, attacking the ‘captor’. Kesly barely made it through to his five hours.
They were now at twelve hours. The instructor allowed them brakes in turns. At the moment it was Killian in the torture room.
He was doing pretty well, for most of it.
The problem was that Kade started struggling to keep calm. He leaned against the back wall of the room, clenching one wrist in a death grip. Every now and then he would see Bell glancing back at him, a worried look on her face.
Killian let out a groan and Kade flinched. He closed his eyes for a moment. His heart was now pounding against his ribs. It started to hurt. His throat felt like it started closing.
Images started flashing through his mind.
As screams filled his ears.
He couldn’t take it any more.
“I need to get out” Kade muttered, pushing himself away from the wall, walking to the door.
“Where are you going, Mister Kaden?”
Kade flinched, stopping with one hand stretched out to the door. “I... “ he hesitated for a second “I just need some air”
“Mister Kaden” the man said “This is also part of the test”
Kade closed his eyes for a moment. “Then fail me” he growled and opened opened the door, stepping outside. He couldn’t take it in there anymore.
As he leaned back against the wall again, the flood just broke.
Memories flooded through his mind and he gasped.
“Well now just look at what we have here”
Kade’s head snapped up, his legs gave in and he sank to the ground. “No...” he whispered “You’re dead... You died....”
“Now, now, boy... Did you really think you’d be able to get away from me that easily?”
He was back. Back in that room. The place where Darren nearly broke his mind. He could see everything, smell it, feel the chains around his wrists and a mad man standing in front of him.
“Boy, don’t try to make use those destructive power of yours” Darren’s voice said “Because you know what will happen if you do”
The man laughed.
Kade could feel his power slowly ebbing away. Fear gripped his mind, he couldn’t do it. He just couldn’t go through it again.
“You do remember what happens when you try it, right?”
He could feel the cold seeping through him.
Bell shook her head and followed after Kade. He did not look very good when he left. Out of the corner of her eye she could see the shadows around them starting to behave oddly. It was almost the same as when he got the anxiety attack about a week ago.
She sighed and closed the door behind her, just to hear a muttering coming from the side.
Her eyes widened when she saw Kade sitting against the wall. He was holding his head, his shadows moving around him, but not daring to touch him.
“Oh no...” she whispered.
Quickly she knelt next to Kade, carefully a hand on his arm. Kade flinched, his eyes snapping up to her. They searched for something that she couldn’t see.
“Please no...” he muttered.
Bell bit her lip. “Kade can you hear me?” she asked.
He shut his eyes tightly, pressing his hand against his head. “... I’m sorry...”
“It’s alright...” she whispered, putting a hand against his cheek “Everything is going to be alright”
He was shaking, refusing to look up again. So Bell just moved so she was next to him and pulled him into her arms, pulling her hands through his hair, which strangely enough seemed to calm him down slightly.
When his breathing finally calmed down, Bell pulled back slightly.
“Kade?” she tried again “Are you alright now?”
Kade took a trembling breath, as he lifted his head. His eyes focused on her and he nodded. “Sorry...”
Bell smiled. “It’s alright” she said “What happened?”
He groaned and pulled his hand through his hair. “I’m not... I’m not sure” he said “I think it must have been... a flashback or something”
“Oh...” Bell whispered “I’m sorry, this test must have...”
“Triggered” Kade said, breathing out.
“Will you be alright to go back in?” Bell asked “You don’t have to”
Kade closed his eyes, resting his arms on his knees. “I told him to fail me” he said “So I don’t bloody care”
“Would you mind if I sit here with you?”
He tilted his head slightly to look at her. “He will fail you as well”
“I’m supposed to go last” she said “So don’t worry about that”
Kade sighed before he shrugged. “Do what you want, Bell” he said “Thank you”
