He landed hard onto the mat. All he could see were the circular ceiling lights making his failure visible for all to see. He got up to his knees, sweat dripping from his chin, and looked around the hanger. A shuttle the size of car sat in the corner. It's slanting front and end mirrored that of the ship and it's reflective windscreen. A small rectangular engine was attached to each corner of the shuttle. At the other corner of the room was a workbench with tools, nuts and bolts all over it. Next to it was a small bed neatly made with a small white pillow. In the centre of the hangar was a chassis of a motorcycle and vehicle with a million and one parts surrounding it. The soft hum of the engine filled the silence as it did with every dark and empty corner of the ship.
"Come on, we ain't got all day." Inyanga stood, barefoot, on the mat. His left foot in front of his right on his toes. Hands to his chin, hunched over. Mwene got up and stood flat footed. His fists were up to his cheeks. Inyanga fired a left jab straight at him. Mwene leaned right to dodge it but lost his footing and fell flat onto the mat.
"Again." demanded Inyanga as he stood up and assumed his fighting stance. Inyanga fired another left and Mwene moved right again to dodge it but did not lose his footing. He smiled as he watched the fist harmlessly miss him. He looked forward ready to counter only for the other fist to hit him square on the chin. He found the mat once again. He got onto his knees and rubbed his jaw.
"You alright?" Inyanga reached out his hand and Mwene used it to lift himself up. He assumed his fighting position and nodded at Inyanga to go again. He took one look down and stood by his side.
"You're flat footed. It doesn't help with agility. Shift your weight. It'll help you dodge and perform counters." Inyanga got on his toes and Mwene followed suit. "The key to any fight is to expect anything. Like whenever Mrs. Gruber called." Mwene moved back and forth, getting used to the motion. "Always had to bring my entire toolbox." Inyanga punched the space in front of him. " Exactly. Use ya hips and legs to move with the punch. That's where the power is." Mwene did the same again and again.
Inyanga walked off the mat and grabbed a cup of water and handed it to Mwene. "Your issue isn't form. It's ya head. Any idiot can get the movement but if you can't focus. Can't get in the zone. You'll always lose." Mwene looked at the bottom of the cup as if he would find an answer at the bottom of it.
"It's one thing leaving home the way that we did but I'm having doubts. I haven't been able to access…whatever it is I have ever since that day. In a way I feel so naked without it." He handed the glass back and Inyanga took it. "Listen, you were brilliant long before shite hit the fan. I don't know what's happening with ya body right now, but I know this. What ya do defines ya not what you are." He put the cup down and assumed his fighting stance. "Focus on what ya can change, the ship, us, and that piss poor form ya got going on. It'll be no good against aliens." Mwene smiled and assumed his fighting stance. A ding ran through the hanger. "Ayla wants to see you in the cockpit."
The two of them walked into the cockpit where everyone were gathered. "What's happenin...…" Mwene's voice trailed off as he saw something completely incredible. An impossibly large disk floated in space. In the middle was a tiny black dot of a black hole with a white accretion disk surrounded by a series of black panels which served as a heat shield and a rudimentary means of mimicking the light and day cycle. On the inner edge of the disk was a desert, in the middle was a concrete landscape of skyscrapers that stretched to the outer rim. On the edges was a snowy mountain range. The screen zoomed into the underside of the disk to view a mountain range on the edge as well as forestry as far as the eyes can see.
"Sensors indicate that there are lakes and water on the underside." Explained Patience. They all stood in silence for a while taking it in. "Records suggest that this is an Alderson disk, and the black hole in the middle is artificial."
"Wait, if they can make all of this? Why send a message in Morse code?" Nike broke the silence. "Patience, are there any other signals coming from the disk?" Ayla walked back to her station and started to scan the distress signal. "There's a satellite transmitting the code which begs more questions than it answers but there's something on the topside that is emitting static. A lot of it." she reported.
"It explains why we're able to detect it from so far away but doesn't explain why that method over others." Nike thought out loud. Inyanga walked over to Anan who was on her station helping Ayla. He tapped her shoulder and gestured with his thumb and pointing finger pressed together and by his lips. "Only got one left, let's have it when we figure out what's happening here." They smiled at each other and in that moment found a certain peace that only a bond such as theirs could buy.
"E, when can you get the shuttle ready?" Inyanga quickly shook his head to bring him back to the situation and turned to Mwene. "Give me three hours." He replied. Mwene walked in front of the main monitors and looked at his friends who looked back at him. He ignored his dry mouth and sinking feeling in his stomach. "Listen, we don't know what we're going to find so be prepared, we've made it this far and we will make it even further. Nike, Ayla and Inyanga will head to the forest. Observe and find anything we can grow. Note anything unusual. Anan, you're with me. We're go into the city and try to find out what exactly what's happening. Patience, observe and report anything. None of us are an island, if one of us falls we all fall. Understood?" They all nodded and made their preparations.
They ran through the empty, broken city. It's roads were a graveyard full of bodies and vehicles. They nimbly jumped from one vehicle to another trying not to step on any corpse or anything that looked like one. The girl kept on looking over her shoulder, trying to find it through the smoke and debris. The boy pointed at a building and they both jumped through only for the glass floor to give way underneath them. They landed into a warm red pool. They quickly resurfaced and found themselves surrounded by bloated and decayed corpses. Their stench was completely overpowering and instantly upset their stomachs. While the boy panicked after the revelation in the sea of the dead, the girl looked up and heard glass break from above. She grabbed the boy's mouth and looked at her pointed upwards with her head. They pulled some bodies close to each other and lay on their backs and remained utterly motionless. Something from above peered over the edge. It was engulfed in white flames in such a way that it was impossible to determine its form. There were no arms, no legs or eyes visible. Just a raw primal force with seemingly one goal in mind: Death.