The music was loud in the girl's ears as she danced around the room. It made her move back and forth as she mouthed the words along with the song. Dancing had always put her in a good mood when she had a bad day and helped calm her stress levels. Not that her job really had her stressed, she enjoyed it quite a bit. Working with apes in training simulations aboard a space station with her mother was actually her dream job. It gave them more time together and she got to learn a lot about apes.
The problem was the commander of The Oberon, Karl Vasich. He was real by the book and rarely went outside the realm of the rules. Laura was sure it had made it easy for him to rise in the ranks, but when it came to things he knew nothing about she really wished he would keep his nose out of it. When it came to the apes her mother Grace knew more than anyone on the ship. So when the Commander came through and tried to place rules on the handling of the apes that he knows nothing about, Laura just wanted to scream at him to stay in his own lane.
Maybe it wasn't just him, Laura had never been very good with authority figures. She was a woman who always liked to do things her way and didn't like being pushed around. Her mother had tried to curb her rebellious attitude by telling her that they would be able to get more done if Laura would stop antagonizing the Commander. So for a while, the young woman had tried to keep the peace between them. Until yesterday, when he decided to tell her that it was now against the rules for her to be doing training simulations. Laura had wanted to learn how to be a pilot like her friend Leo. Now it seemed like it was never going to happen for her.
"Laura!"
She was pulled out of her thoughts and dancing trance when her music was suddenly shut off. Speak of the devil. Standing next to her stereo was her friend and co-worker, Leo Davidson. Leo was the closest thing Laura had to a brother. They spent a lot of time together on the ship discussing things from piloting to how the apes had been doing. While Leo was a very good pilot he was also an ape pilot trainer. His ape Pericles still had a lot to learn but Laura felt like it was mostly nerves on Pericles's part.
"Leo, how can I help you?" Laura asked running her hands through her dark hair and breathing heavily from her exertions.
"Your mother is looking for you, you know Grace hates having to wait."
Laura nodded and followed Leo out of her quarters and through the long hallways of the space station. Once they reached the end of the hall they stepped onto an elevator and Leo pushed the button to get them to where the apes were housed. Once the doors of the elevator closed Leo turned towards Laura.
"I heard about the Commander shutting down your training," Leo ran his hand through his short cut brown hair, "I'm really sorry Laura."
Laura felt herself shift from leaning on one leg to the other and bit the inside of her cheek. There was a lot she wanted to get off her chest about their so-called Commander, but she didn't want to make Leo pissed off at him too. It was different for him, Leo was a pilot and he needed to be on the Commander's good side in order to get stuff done that he needed to be done.
"Not as sorry as I am Leo, but maybe he did it for a good reason," Laura tried to keep her voice from sounding strained and thought she did pretty good.
The face Leo made at her words made her realize she sucked at keeping her emotions hidden. She sighed heavily and crossed her arms. "Okay, I'm pretty pissed by it. It just feels like he's trying to keep me down."
"It's probably because you like to argue with him about everything, he is our Commander Laura. He's not used to being disrespected, this is probably his way of trying to get you to realize he's the one in charge."
I hate it when he's right.
The elevator dinged and the doors opened, as they both stepped out Laura couldn't help but tack on, "Well he doesn't have to be a dick about it." Which earned a smile from Leo.
As they entered the main room Laura could hear the apes in their cages. Her mother was leaning over the observation table and taking notes. Laura's mother Grace was an older woman with golden blonde hair. The apes on the Oberon were her whole life, and she did the best she could to keep them happy and healthy.
Laura walked around the table and leaned her elbows on it and held her head in her hands, "Hey mom, what did you need from little ole me?"
"Where have you been Laura?" Grace asked with a sigh as she looked over at her young daughter. "I need your help, Leo just got done with Pericles and I need your help to get Myra out to check on her pregnancy."
"First, I was blowing off steam by dancing up a storm."
Leo snickered and covered his mouth to stop himself from full-on laughing, "Yeah she was really into it, waving arms and almost breaking furniture."
Laura smiled at him and straightened up, "You know I dance great!" She winked at Leo and they shared a laugh before she continued, "Secondly, yes, I will help with Myra."
Grace shook her head at them but couldn't help the smile that pulled at her lips. Laura walked over to Myra's cage and kneeled down in front of it. Myra had always been a rather quiet chimp but ever since Pericles had gotten her pregnant she had been acting a bit strange. Laura wasn't surprised that her mother wanted to check on her.
"Here Myra, let's get you and that little one checked out okay?" Laura said placing a treat through the bars of the cage.
Myra stared back out at her and let out a warning hoot and backed up closer to the cage wall. Laura gave a slight sigh and shook her head. "Come on Myra, no one is gonna hurt you, we just need to make sure you and the baby are okay."
The female looked between Laura and the treat and carefully moved forward before snagging the treat and eating it. Laura chuckled, "Oh so your not too upset to take my treats I see."
Myra grunted at her and Laura opened the door to her cage. Reaching in Myra gripped onto her and allowed Laura to lift her up and onto her hip.
"You know she seems a bit calmer with you around. Last night Paul tried to give her a treat and she snapped at him." Grace said as she finished her notes and put them away. "I was worried we would have more problems getting her out."
"Myra just doesn't take other people's bullshit," Laure replied handing Myra another treat. "Paul shouldn't have been stupid enough to call her names and expect her not to know by his tone that he was being a dick."
"Yeah well, the Commander has him in solitude right now. Says he needs to be alone so he can calm his nerves. I think he's going a little crazy being on the station." Leo said crossing his arms and leaning against the wall.
"Ah, the 'station craze' has struck again," Laura replied with a smirk and a raised brow.
"It's not a joke Laura, Paul was really starting to fall apart. From what the Commander said it sounds like they are going to have to send him back home," Grace chastised while looking at her daughter with a serious expression.
Laura rubbed the back of her neck with one hand before she replied, "Sorry mom."
"It's probably a good idea they are sending him home then," Leo said with a tight expression.
The conversation was suddenly cut short by the light flickering and going completely out. The apes seemed to sense something was wrong and started causing an uproar. Laura held onto Myrah tighter and she felt the female's grip tighten as well. It took only a moment for the lights to flicker back to life.
"What the hell was that?" Laura asked as Leo was suddenly called up on deck. "Leo?"
He turned back towards her as he was starting to head up, "Don't worry, I'll see whats going on."
Laura nodded but still felt nervous as she watched Leo walk away. Her mother walked up beside her and placed a comforting hand on her daughter's shoulder.
She suddenly felt a tugging on her arm and she realized she was still holding Myra. The female ape was tugging at her and looking back at her cage.
"Yeah, you're probably going to be safer in there for now anyway," Laura said as she walked back over to her cage and opened the door, watching Myra climb back inside it. Before she went to stand back up she felt a hand reach out and grab her arm. Laura looked back at Myra and smiled. "It's all going to be okay, don't worry."
She stared at her for a bit before releasing Laura's arm and leaning back into the cage. I don't remember her being this smart before. I wonder whats changed. Laura thought as she stood up and walked back over to her mother.
Leo returned to them looking pretty miffed, the only thing he said was that he needed Grace to get Pericles. Laura looked at him with questioning eyes and Leo sighed heavily before speaking,
"There is some kind of electrical storm and Commander Vasich doesn't want to send me out, says it's too dangerous. He wants to send Pericles."
Laura went to protest but Leo stopped her with a look, "I already tried to talk him out of it, he wouldn't listen to me. I don't want this anymore then you do."
She believed him, but still didn't want it to happen. The truth was it didn't matter what either of them wanted, Pericles was still suited up and put in his pod. Leo gave him a few reassuring words and Laura smiled at him and gave him a treat.
"Now you be careful out there okay?" Laura said as she looked back at Myra's cage for a moment before turning back to Pericles, "You have a child counting on you."
As the pod was pulling out Pericles gave them both a thumbs up and it pulled at Laura's heartstrings. She knew why he had to go out first, and the truth was she didn't want to risk Leo either. Laura wished there had been a way to check out the storm without risking anyone. But that's just not how it was.
Laura went with Leo and her mother up to the deck and watched as Pericles's pod headed for the storm. At first, everything was routine, he was on a straight course and they had perfect radio contact. Until his pod started veering off course. Leo tried to instruct him on how to fix it, but nothing seemed to work. Laura felt her heart sink as his pod just disappeared into the storm.
"His heart rate is spiking, he's scared," Grace said, which didn't make Laura feel any better. She could only imagine how Leo was feeling. When she looked over at him his entire face was drawn up into a worried grimace.
Leo stepped towards Commander Vasich, "Sir."
"For now we just sit tight and wait," The Commander replied closing the subject. Leo glared at him and Laura felt her fists clench. Laura didn't think she had ever been as mad at their Commander as she was now.
She watched Leo out of the corner of her eyes, and she knew him better than to just sit back and wait. When he gave an excuse about running sequences Laura followed after him.
When they reached the pods she grabbed his arm. "You can not be thinking of going after him."
"I have to Laura, he's my responsibility. I'm not letting him go out like this." He snatched his arm back but Laura didn't take offense. Still, she didn't want him risking his life as well.
"Let me come with you at least," She begged as Leo frantically put on his suit.
"No, you stay here. Grace would never forgive me if something bad happened to you."
With that said he closed the pod and she watched it leave the docking bay. Laura tried to stay calm and think things through, but all she could think about was what would happen if she lost them both. She clenched her jaw and flung open an empty pod door and stepped inside. The suit didn't take long to put on and then she closed the pod door. Turning on the comm she could hear Commander Vasich yelling at Leo to return. It took only a push of a button for her pod to be heading out as well.
"Laura," Her mother shouted at her through the comm, "What the hell do you think you're doing, get back here right now!"
"Mom I love you, but I'm not losing Leo to some stupid space storm. I'm going to bring him back, hopefully with Pericles as well."
"Laura please!"
She had to shut off the comm at that point. Hearing her mother plead for her to return was almost more than Laura could bear. She swore when she got Leo back she was going to kick his ass for this. Slowly her pod started to catch up with Leo's, until just like before with Pericles, his pod disappeared.
Before she could turn the comm back on to signal for him, her pod hit turbulence and alarms started to go off. A blinding flash of light had her covering her eyes and crying out. Then there was nothing. Laura looked out her pod window but didn't see any other pods or even the space station anymore. She quickly turned the comm back on.
"Leo! Leo can you hear me?!" She was met with nothing but deafening silence. "Mom! Are you there?!"
Lost. I'm lost in space.
Tears started to sting her eyes and she bit her lower lip, "God damn it, Leo! You and your fucking monkey love!"
Laura didn't really blame him or Pericles, but yelling was the only thing she could think of to do. Just as she was starting to take calming breaths a vortex opened up in front of her. It seemed to come out of nowhere and swallowed her pod. Suddenly everything in her pod came back online and she realized what was happening.
She was falling. Fast.
"Oh, you have got to be fucking kidding me!" Laura cried out as she started flipping switches, trying to get her pod back into flight.
Below her it seemed like a jungle, everything sweeping under her was covered in green. She pulled at the controls and lowered the landing gear as she continued to free fall.
I am not dying like this!
The pod hit the tops of the trees but it seemed to handle it better then she thought it was going to. It started to fall through the trees and then began sliding on the ground, getting the pod covered in mud and water.
"Come on baby, you can make it, just come to a damn halt!"
Her entire jaw was clenched as she continued to pull on the controls. That's when the mountain appeared. Laura felt her heart fall from her chest and down into her stomach, her eyes going wide as dinner plates. She tried hard to get the pod to turn in a different direction but it was refusing to cooperate. Laura squeezed her eyes shut and knew there was nothing she could do.
I'm so sorry mom.
AN: Hello everyone and welcome to the new and improved The Game! Fixing these chapters is going to take time, as I really want to try and get it right. I hope you enjoy the new and improved chapter. Please leave a comment and let me know if this is better or worse! It's so good to be back!