*gasp
*huff
*huff
The sound of pressurized air escaping from Leona's pod mixed with her desperate breaths.
[Thawing sequences complete.]
[Opening hatch]
Leona sat up quickly from her pod as soon as her hatch opened.
She took measured breaths until she was calm.
'They say that cryogenic sleep gives you weird nightmares but they must've been underestimating the drugs they gave me.' Leona thought sardonically.
She quickly took note of her surroundings as she massaged her legs and stretched her muscles inside her CryoPod.
'It looks like we've made it to the new colony seeing as how I've been thawed,' she realized while she kneaded the thousand year aches in her thighs.
...
After regaining feeling in her limbs, Leona slid off of her capsule and pushed it back into its place in the wall.
A panel flipped over the pod to display an array of buttons and dials and remove her "bed" from view.
'For how high tech this place is supposed to be, it still feels like I'm using a futon,' Leona surmised with a chuckle.
Walking to the door of her room, she remembered that she was covered in a film of sweat.
Her cute rabbit print pajamas were clinging to her skin and soaked in perspiration.
'Okay, gross. Let's make a pit stop before I go find Mamá and Papá,' Leona wiped a drop of sweat threatening to fall from her chin.
She backtracked to the place in the wall where she had returned her futo- CryoPod and began searching for her storage panel.
Pressing a button marked with an elephant spouting water she thought, 'There might be some towels in the hygienics closet. Later I can take a shower in the new colony housing.'
However, much to her annoyance, the closet wouldn't open.
Leona attempted to pry open the door, but she was forced to admit defeat to the door's lock.
'Did the power trip?' She scratched her head, annoyed.
'I'll go find an engineer to let me in the power room.'
The power room was a glorified janitor closet where power was rerouted to the less important parts of the ship, like the shower rooms or the kitchens.
The important power was sent directly to the engineering department where there is staff to watch the engines, CryoPods, food storage, and green houses all day.
Every day.
It was a bit strange how they even raised their children to do these same jobs.
For their entire lives…
Leona pushed that unimportant thought to the back of her mind.
'Focus. Mamá always tells you to focus, and you always have to listen to Mamá.'
Pulling on a spare uniform, Leona attempted to open her door.
Which was, coincidentally, also powered down.
Leona rolled her eyes saucily.
With a dramatic sigh, she searched her room for a spare screwdriver.
…
After a moment of shuffling through her room, she kneeled down and unscrewed the control panel for the door.
She pulled the panel off it's hinges with a light grunt.
'That's weird,' she peered thoughtfully at the corroded metal.
'The atmosphere in the shop should be controlled and filtered, so how did this happen?'
'Oh well.'
Leona tossed the panel behind her and got to work.
Sorting through the wires she pulled on one that held the door to its frame.
'I may not have power but as long as I can-'
Leona pulled hard at the wire until she hear a snap.
*Pshhhh
Loosing its pressure, the door separated from the wall, leaving a finger sized gap.
…
With great effort and much patience, Leona pushed open the heavy metal door; her back to the wall and her feet pushing against the door.
She looked back at the heavy scuffs on the ground and her room's contents strewn haphazardly across the floor.
'I think I'll leave my little mess for someone else as payback for making me work.' Leona thought.
'Ah, I'm so petty,' Leona thought with satisfaction written clearly on her face.
Leona turned left and walked down through the familiar halls towards the engineering floor.
She walked with one hand on the wall beside her.
'Why is it so dark on the ship?'
'And why does it smell weird?' Leona wrinkled her nose.
*tap
*tap
*tap
Her footsteps echoed through the halls.
For some reason she found that unnerving.
Finding the herself at a hatch marked [SERVICE TUNNELS] she unlocked the door the door to reveal a long ladder leading to the port side of the starship.
It was at least four feet across to provide room for moving equipment.
Yet Leona found the inky darkness to be disheartening to say the least.
'These lights are always supposed to be on,' Leona inhaled and continued forward.
…
Leona jumped from the last rungs of the ladder into a large service tunnel.
'Why hasn't there been anyone on the ship? I haven't seen any directory staff even though we've already docked at the colony.'
Leona walked through the tunnel into a wide and spacious room.
Moonlight filtered through holes in the hull like windows.
Leaves entered the engineer deck and a wide fissure in the ship showcased the glittering night sky.
Stars that she didn't recognize from her textbooks twinkled ominously.
It felt as if the universe was warning her to stop looking.
The stars telling her to turn around and ignore the devastation in sight.
"Turn around," they whispered.
"Turn around," they said louder.
"LOOK AWA-"
'Focus Leona.'
No engineers were in sight.
Not even a corpse was left behind.
Only a gaping hole from an evident crash was left in the room.
The floors were cluttered with snapped wires and debris mixed with overgrown leaves from the nearby trees.
'It was no wonder power was down, what with the breach in the ship.'
This wasn't the colony.
What planet are we on?
Where is everyone?
'This is not how I'd spend my 100,017th birthday.'
"What. The actual. Fu-"