them were, but it was a start. Maybe one of them would be useful, maybe even save one of their lives. It was worth looking. He just wished there were more of them. All of what was left fit into a single cabinet.
He collected more bandages and a salve that said it was for cuts and scrapes. He wasn’t sure that the deep cuts on his feet were exactly what the salve was designed for, but Tron figured it couldn’t hurt. Or rather, it could, but not much worse than it was already. These he tucked into a drawer near the door, so that he could find them later. He was sure he would want them before he slept, so he made sure they were easy to find. Finally, he straightened the chairs, placing them back in the same spots Geddes always had them in, and put the padded table back in corner where the doctor had died. He wasn’t sure he wanted to lay over that spot, but he couldn’t imagine putting it somewhere else. This place wasn’t his to rearrange. Once he was sure he had the med bay looking as good as it ever would, he headed back to the hatch.
Almost the moment he made it, the humming stopped again. Kivi made an odd sort of squeak, and Tron’s heart missed a beat. He tensed, expecting a scream as she was sucked out into space. He was so ready for it, that when she whooped, it took him a moment to realize the sound was victory rather than her death. It wasn’t until she started laughing that he recognized what he was really hearing.
“You got it?” He hoped he didn’t sound half as panicked as he felt.
“That was cool.”
Tron wondered if she’d ever sounded so much like a fifteen year old girl. Probably not. “Glad to hear you’re enjoying yourself. Does that mean you got it?”
“Yeah!” She sounded positively pleased. “I thought I needed to rewire the whole thing, but all I really had to cut the fuel line. I don’t know why the thing needed power. All it was doing was holding us. A rope does the same thing. But it needed power, and once all the fuel drained out it just kind of retracted. Then the outer door slammed shut and almost took off my hands. I wonder if it’s on a separate power circuit. Maybe I can tap into that and get us a little bit of atmo.”
It was, without a doubt, the most he’d ever heard her speak. Or heard of her speaking, for that matter. It might’ve been the door almost crushing her hands, and the adrenaline that was sure to produce, but Tron suspected it was her time fiddling with the machine that had her so excited.
“Well good for you, precious. Wanna come back in?”
She giggled, and he the sound almost struck him dead with shock. “Yes please.”
Tron jerked open the door the same small crack he had before, slamming it shut the instant she was back inside. There was another rush of air, but it didn’t seem as violent as the last time. He was glad for that, because he wasn’t sure the girl had the strength to walk against such a blast. He’d been prepared to go in and drag her out, but it wasn’t necessary at all. If she didn’t have the pressure suit on, he thought she might have skipped out of the airlock. Even with it, Kivi seemed to have a bounce to her step. “Have fun, did you?”
She tipped her head up, but she did it too quickly and the whole suit started toppling backward. Tron reached out and dropped a gloved hand on the top of her helmet before she could go crashing back. Kivi didn’t even seem to notice.
“Yes!” As soon as the word was out of her mouth, she seemed to remember where she was. He watched as the joy faded from her face, and the lines of worry reappeared on a face too young for such creases. “I wasn’t supposed to.”
“Don’t worry about it kid. You got the job done. That’s what we needed. Doesn’t matter if you loved every second or spent the whole time trying not to be sick all over yourself.”
She nodded gravely, as if it were the most profound thing she’d ever heard. Then she knocked his hand away and turned back to the
He collected more bandages and a salve that said it was for cuts and scrapes. He wasn’t sure that the deep cuts on his feet were exactly what the salve was designed for, but Tron figured it couldn’t hurt. Or rather, it could, but not much worse than it was already. These he tucked into a drawer near the door, so that he could find them later. He was sure he would want them before he slept, so he made sure they were easy to find. Finally, he straightened the chairs, placing them back in the same spots Geddes always had them in, and put the padded table back in corner where the doctor had died. He wasn’t sure he wanted to lay over that spot, but he couldn’t imagine putting it somewhere else. This place wasn’t his to rearrange. Once he was sure he had the med bay looking as good as it ever would, he headed back to the hatch.
Almost the moment he made it, the humming stopped again. Kivi made an odd sort of squeak, and Tron’s heart missed a beat. He tensed, expecting a scream as she was sucked out into space. He was so ready for it, that when she whooped, it took him a moment to realize the sound was victory rather than her death. It wasn’t until she started laughing that he recognized what he was really hearing.
“You got it?” He hoped he didn’t sound half as panicked as he felt.
“That was cool.”
Tron wondered if she’d ever sounded so much like a fifteen year old girl. Probably not. “Glad to hear you’re enjoying yourself. Does that mean you got it?”
“Yeah!” She sounded positively pleased. “I thought I needed to rewire the whole thing, but all I really had to cut the fuel line. I don’t know why the thing needed power. All it was doing was holding us. A rope does the same thing. But it needed power, and once all the fuel drained out it just kind of retracted. Then the outer door slammed shut and almost took off my hands. I wonder if it’s on a separate power circuit. Maybe I can tap into that and get us a little bit of atmo.”
It was, without a doubt, the most he’d ever heard her speak. Or heard of her speaking, for that matter. It might’ve been the door almost crushing her hands, and the adrenaline that was sure to produce, but Tron suspected it was her time fiddling with the machine that had her so excited.
“Well good for you, precious. Wanna come back in?”
She giggled, and he the sound almost struck him dead with shock. “Yes please.”
Tron jerked open the door the same small crack he had before, slamming it shut the instant she was back inside. There was another rush of air, but it didn’t seem as violent as the last time. He was glad for that, because he wasn’t sure the girl had the strength to walk against such a blast. He’d been prepared to go in and drag her out, but it wasn’t necessary at all. If she didn’t have the pressure suit on, he thought she might have skipped out of the airlock. Even with it, Kivi seemed to have a bounce to her step. “Have fun, did you?”
She tipped her head up, but she did it too quickly and the whole suit started toppling backward. Tron reached out and dropped a gloved hand on the top of her helmet before she could go crashing back. Kivi didn’t even seem to notice.
“Yes!” As soon as the word was out of her mouth, she seemed to remember where she was. He watched as the joy faded from her face, and the lines of worry reappeared on a face too young for such creases. “I wasn’t supposed to.”
“Don’t worry about it kid. You got the job done. That’s what we needed. Doesn’t matter if you loved every second or spent the whole time trying not to be sick all over yourself.”
She nodded gravely, as if it were the most profound thing she’d ever heard. Then she knocked his hand away and turned back to the
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