objectivity
Keldar was a dingy depressing planet. It's surface was pock marked with mines and dying remnants of forests. Atleast that was Rodney's impression as they were marched at gun point to the encampment. That forced march was their first and only glimpse of the planet's surface. After that they were locked in a small bare room in a cinder block building surrounded by razor wire. Elizabeth, Rodney, Miko and five others were crowded into a cement walled and concrete floored room. For the first two days Rodney's clausterphobia held reign. Then he learned there were other things to be afraid of. That it was best to ignore the walls closing in on him and the fact that there were 7 other people breathing his air. Breathing all his precious air. Near the end of the second day men in uniforms came and started to drag people from the small cell one at a time. Keeping them for what seemed like days before returning them to take someone else. So far Rodney had been spared but he didn't expect that to last and that terrified him more than any tiny enclosed room. The thing was, the people came back differnt. The guards had started with Sargent Markoff, a volatile young marine who had been uttering threats almost non stop since their capture three days before. He was gone for what seemed like an eternity. Rodney was unsure of exactly how long because his watch had been broken in the scuffle when they had been taken. With the abscence of windows in the cell he was unable to use the suns passage judge time. The only possible way to keep track was with the food rations they received. However since it was the same thin gruel at every meal even that proved useless.
Finally Markoff was returned unconscious and somewhat bruised, but seemingly ok. Only once he woke up, he no longer talked. Infact he didn't do much of anything. He sat in a corner. Hunched over, head down staring at the floor. He didn't acknowledge any of Elizabeth's questions and when Rodney crouched beside him, Markoff had only looked up and through Rodney. His eyes were vacant, no hint of personality or defiance. Nothing anyone tried got a responce. Markoff just wasn't there anymore. When they discovered he wouldn't even feed himself, Miko started to cry. Soft silent tears that shook her thin frame. Rodney awkwardly patted her back in a clumsy futile attempt at comfort.
The next day when the guards returned to take someone else there was a brief disagreement between them. The first guard pointed at Elizabeth. The second guard motioned towards Johanson. The following exchange was quick gutteral and filled with consonants. It ended with the first pulling a slender black stick shaped object from his pocket and taking aim at Johnson. The sandy-haired exobiologist shook his head vehemently and backed away, clearly terrified. The weapon emitted a whining pulse of orange light. Johanson went rigid and fell to the floor convulsing. In a matter of seconds the seizure stopped leaving him lying unconscious on the floor. The guards each grabbed and arm and pulled him the room. The heavy metal door clanged shut, and broke through the haze of
terror filling the room.
Elizabeth snagged Rodney's sleeve pulling him off to the side. As she talked to him he studied her features. She was tired and drawn. The thin skin around her eyes was dark and bruised looking. Already slender, she had lost weight that she could ill afford making her seem fragile. Yet deep in her eyes was a light of determination. Together they worked on coming up with an escape plan. Slowly their intense conversation drew the attention of the others remaining in the room. Miko tentatively joined in. Then soon they were all sharing information and observations. Some suggestions were useful, most were not. Rodney lost his patience explaining that the locks on the door were of the old fashioned key variety, and yes he was the smartest man in two galaxies but even he couldn't "over-ride" that without lock picking tools. Ignoring Elizabeths quelling glare, he took a deep breath to continue when the door to the cell slammed open. This time three robed figures appeared. Entering they grabbed Elizabeth and started to drag her from the room. Rodney acting on instinct clutched at her. Pulling violently he tried to stop them from taking her. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed a fourth figure in the doorway pointing at him. A buzzing whine filled his head. His vision grew hazy, tinting a fiery orange and his nerve endings screamed in agony. Dimly he was aware of Elizabeth being pulled from his grasp and then he was falling into blackness.
tbc. maybe
Don't own them. I just borrow them from time to time. I promise to return them to where I found them.