Chapter 4 - Dream or Run

Finishing the exam early a young girl stretches then pushes her paper onto the faint rectangle at the top of the desk. 

Taking a quick look around her in the dark as her eyes can see fine due to training.

She laid her head down on her arms at her desk and drifted into sleep as her body give off waves of exhaustion that pulled her mind deep into sleep almost instantly.

----

-BOOM-

loud explosions echoed at random intervals.

"DUCK!" Someone yelled at the top of their lungs.

"HIDE! THEIR COMING!" Another yells from a different location as footsteps could be heard running in another direction. 

"NO!! THIS WAY!" Someone hollard from somewhere else.

"FALL BACK!! FALL BA..."

-CRASH-

-BOOM-

As buildings fall in a city as smoke rises. Explosions could be seen going off on the planet below from Space. 

Looking down on multiple shuttles launching out of orbit. Out of the sky of the once known Mining Home, was currently being invaded and rescuers were sent down to grab who they could at the same time so chaos had ensued.

-nnnnnuuuuUUUMM- A high speed projectile could be heard in the vacuum of space as it came from something more advanced.

-BOOM-

The last set of the shuttles could be seen exploding in rapid succession to the extent that multiple trails of fiery blue plasma made patterns in the upper atmosphere lighting up the night sky. 

'Creatures' in Heavy Daedric Armor converged on this specific location hauling off anything and anyone that radiated of the pheromones of a specific type of 'bipedal female' into a large transport on the surface that had never once touched the ground, yet it glided over wreckage with such ease.

Huff

Huff huff 

(Calm down...CALM down remember... the basics)

Huff

Huuu~

(Breathe, they will rescue you) 

-Crash-

! That was too close!

Rubble had landed hard nearby on a large Launch platform that was currently hiding a young teenage female with short hair. 

Blue streaks filled the sky, as they exploded on impact knocking down anything that flew in the air space of this particular location.

The small mining town was soon decimated into piles of rubble as gunfire and explosions were fired from all directions.

(I'm not here to fight)

Huff Huff Huff

(Only... to verify... something... Ancient) 

"KEEERIIK" An gruff alien sound sounding loudly.

Multiple heavy plated footsteps sounded really close by, as debris was roughly thrown off to the sides as multiple tall unknown species started their search in this area for a remnant of the 'Ancients'.

They always, ALWAYS, seem to know when I am about to rediscover something!

"KIRK... KERRICK... KERIKERI!"  A single low tone chatter sounded but yet the multiple replies of a different kind of sound startled the young girl as one was right above her.

In unison a mix of another unknown number of multiple high pitched chit chatter sounded extremely close from the rubble and headed towards her location.

"CHHIIIRR!"

"CHECHIK...KERIPIK!"

The Heavy Steps came ever so closer with each step to where the small figure hid. 

-THUD-

-THUMP-

-ScrrRRAAAAPE~

They said to s...stay put and t...th...they'll f...find me!

Closing my eyes tightly.

Hopefully they come soon.

Noticing the movement stopped the girl held her breath closing her eyes as she tried to calm down the epic musical beat of her pounding heart. 

A odd sense of dread washed over her as deep faint whispers sounded in her subconscious

'Is it Time to go Backwards!? Why? Why Now? I'm Not Done!'

-Rustle-

-Rustle-

-CRACK-

-Powp-

"Ow!"

"WAKE UP! YOU'RE THE LAST ONE TO LEAVE!!! I Would Like To Go Home As Well!!" A gruff pissed off male voice said dripping with venom on every word, as I blink my eyes into focus in the darkened room while rubbing my arms.

As I became aware of my surroundings the dream faded into background noise as it was buried back into the sub-consciousness.

Noticing that my square was red and flashing I slid my paper off it and it turned off.

Looking at the Head Teacher with a large thick ruler in his hand as he taps it against his shoulder ready to pop my arms again.

Grabbing my backpack I stood up and bowed quickly and rushed to the back of the room that was the only light source left, and with the layout being in straight rows, made it quickly.

Stepping through into a hallway I rush along to the shuttle bay hopefully not too late. While turning right then left then jumped down two flights of stairs, like a pro, while only looking at my score with a small smile.

Stuffing it into my backpack while not stopping, dashing through the corridors I sling my pack fully onto my back and dashed faster while I'm now focused on where I'm going.

Passing through an open doorway only to see at the end of the corridor in a faint dreaded feeling.

The shuttle gate is starting to shimmer pink while slowly turning red from the outside making its way slowly to the center.

-Game face-

Two hundred and fifty three steps to the doorway with my running speed...

One minute left till it's closed for seventy- two hours...

One hundred steps per minute on a straight way...

Lowering my center of gravity.

I bop my academy issued com, on my left chest, thrice, in rapid succession. The walls pulsed thrice as footholds materialized evenly spaced for the most part along both of the walls.

Pouncing to the right I start bouncing off the walls, like spring boards, gaining speed towards the last shuttle air-lock as the red shield became only half its size.

Thirty seconds left!

Putting my weight into each push off as I increased my max speed as I instinctively placed my feet just right as my focus was on the ever so closing shield.

Ten pounces left.

'I'm not gonna make it!!'

My vision starts to darken as only five seconds remain.

A deep abyssal calm male voice echoes from deep within the center cortex of my mind from behind a misty veil.

(Close your eyes and Breathe... When I say... Now!)

-Breathes in-

-Breathes out-

-PuShing- {my version of an electrical pulse ;}

Opening my eyes I feel like everything is moving slower than normal as I dash the last seven steps and dove through the gap in three seconds with half a second to spare.

As I roll and hit my back against the back seat of the shuttle, gasping for breath as the tingling sensation slowly disappears and the sounds from around me come back to my senses.

-Click-

-Clack- 

-Click-

-Shuffle-

Medium heavy steps, in shiny black boots, stopped right in front of me.

"Look Who Barely made it!" A young smooth deep male voice sounded, as a matter of fact, with his arms crossed, "You. Awake. Yet. Cailleach(.5)?"

"Like you could do better! Bodach(1)."

Sticking my tongue out at him and making a sour face while trying to catch my breath. Wondering where I had heard that 'abysmal voice' from before... 

But nothing came up.

Bodach reached his hand down and I grabbed it as he lifted me up off of the ground. We walked down a small corridor towards the deck where the seats were located. 

I realized then that there are more than just four personnel on this shuttle.

^^^^^^^^^^^

(1.5) Bodach is a "Trickster or Boogeyman" figure in Gaelic folklore and mythology. The Bodach "old man" is paired with the Cailleach "hag, old woman" in Irish legend. (Wikipedia)