Rina's head was pounding from the itchy cot and the brick-like pillow she forced herself to lie on. The alarm was blaring through the walls, reverberating against her cot, shocking her awake from her disrespectful slumber. The lights were flashing at the swell of each crying out screech. She felt the steps of her newly-acquainted roomate hit the ground below her.
She pushed herself up in a panic, the red covering the room. Her body reacting to the color flooding through her sight. Her heart pounding harder with every flash of the red lights.
"Is this that sub-whatever they were talking about?" Akali questioned, her breathing heavy enough to be heard as she darted her sight around the the room in a panic.
"I think s-" Rina was cut off by the smell of rotten eggs. A gassy smell her nose couldn't recognize, it was parted with a smell of Pennies, a stark metallic smell she recognized too well.
"What the hell.." she spoke aloud, her nose scrunching at the smell. She could feel her head getting lighter, her body felt numb. a dull numbness.
"...Cover the vents." She hopped off the cot as she felt the effects wear on her body.
"Huh?" Akali questioned her. "What are we supposed to cover the vents with?"
"I don't know, maybe the... uh. pillows? They're hard enough to keep my neck hurting so maybe it could block the vents..?"
"I mean it's worth a shot, i don't know." Akali seemed to feel the affects, her voice more monotonous. Rina took her chance and grabbed her pillow from the top bunk and handed it to the woozy woman in front of her.
"Block it.. NOW!" Akali was slowed by the adverse gas coming into the room, yet was quick enough to stumble over to the vent. Rina could relate, the gas was making her eyes water, and her head feel uncomfortably still. A calm pain. One that was enough to keep her awake but not enough to make her fall to the ground. She grabbed the pillow off her roommate's bed and shoved the pillow into the
Vents deep crevices. The rust from the aged metal flaking off landing onto her face and arms.
"this ought to keep the gas from messing with us anymore.. at least for now." Rina spoke, carefully letting go of the pillow's molded position on the vent.
The girl behind her was wobbly, the pillow shoved into the vent awkwardly. She softly stumbled forward, her stance similar to a willow tree swaying slightly. It was clear that Akali had stumbled in blocking the vent but also covering herself from the contents of the toxic air bursting out from inside it.
"Hey.. hey, sit for a second. we blocked it off.. we should be okay." she put her hand behind Akali, directing her to the bed before trying to soothe her with deep breath's.
"In.. Out.... In.. Out...." she repeated it over and over again, her roommate slowly leveling out as the air she took in stabilized her.
At that moment, a muffled voice flooded the intercoms of the ship.
"All classifieds level four have been subdued. Prepare for intra-cellular obtainment." the two girls gazed up toward the intercom, Rina rushed over to the fielded door to see a blur of lifeless, twitching bodies taking up the cells she was able to see into. the incoming footsteps echoing as she pressed her face into the gate trying to see anything she may be able to make out.
It was useless. they were there held captive, unbeknownst to them what the verdict for their future may be. they needed a plan, anything that could help.
"over here…" her hushed remark reached Akali, her grey skin slinking across the room to hide in the presumed blind spot.
"We just have to jump the guards enough when they get to us.. then run like hell."
"That's a pretty solid plan.." Alkali's voice timbered through the sentence, an obviousness to her words. A sly silence slipped through them. The echos of boots slowly growing louder, clomping down on the metal floor with booms louder and louder, filling their ears until they stopped.
A sharp "skshh" unlocked the door. They stared at the door hard.
"Sarg there's no one he- " his voice was cut off at the sharp grab that took hold of the mysterious guard's throat.
"Like that?" Akali softly spoke, an intense calm for the violent action she commited made the silence between them more intense. She heard a pop, squeeze, and a sudden burst of air from the throat of the guard.
"I didn't say.. kill him??" Rina was taken aback by the hidden strength her newfangled companion had.
"You didn't say to not kill him either" Akali responded, dropping the now lifeless body onto the ground with more than needed violence.
He was limp, nothing now. But Rina's horror lessened, she couldn't put a finger on the feeling, but it was almost as if the lifeless body posed a titillating danger.
Did she enjoy it? The thought crossed her mind like a whip, filling her thoughts with an awful sense of wonder, equal parts regret.
She stood there, confused at her emotions, eyes dead set on the body.
"We have better things to deal with.. Rona?"
"Rina.."
"Right.. we got bigger shit to deal with." Akali's regret was minimal. Rina felt she should be scared, but she was more inclined to feel she was better to be with the woman, than to be against her.
She snapped herself out of the deep trance she had fell into, tapping the shoulder of her counterpart and motioning toward the now empty door, being careful to step over the body they had collected.
The pair peered around the corner. There was a man at the end of the hall, his back turned to them as he was loading the weapon he had in his possession.
"What now??"
"Can't you like.. transform into the guy or something??"
"Right.. uhh.. let me try." She held the corpse in her hands. A Focus fell upon akali's body. To be subjected to this felt like torture to her, but to watch it unfold; especially with the speed she had done it; was astounding.
Definitely need to keep her on my side…