Wonder

ᑕᕼᗩᑭ丅ᗴᖇ Sᗴᐯᗴᑎ

𝓐𝓷𝓭 𝓐𝓰𝓪𝓲𝓷 ✶༄ ‧₊˚

Screams of confusion and commotion rang loudly through the usually calm and pristine hallways now riddled with confusion and fear. A robotic voice was repeatedly ringing out orders and instructions in an overly tranquil voice, no one paid any mind to it as the shouts and screeches kept anyone from hearing their own thoughts.

"We gotta go, now!" Sophia screeched as she took Willow by the wrist, practically dragging her past the guards who were desperately trying to keep order. To Sophia's surprise, instead of struggling against her grip, Willow followed willingly. Running right alongside her former friend, the girl's raven hair trailed behind her in a waterfall of darkness. Despite its unorderly form it still shone with the blackness of the night sky.

Flashing red lights did no good to the crowds of confused residents, the blaring alarm adding to the worry and horrific feeling of the event. If they didn't evacuate, humanity could potentially seize to exist. Mothers and Fathers were running hurriedly down the corridors, all in the directions of either one of the schools. Hoping to get their children to safety, or at least die by their sides.

"Come on, 'Stargazer' is right over here," Sophia pulled Willow down a near hall to the side, almost entirely concealed if one wasn't looking for it. Sophia knew that the rest of the old crew would go there, and if there were anyone she trusted to evacuate with, it was them. The hall was so thin that they had to run single-file. Sophia heard rapid footsteps behind her, and she looked over her shoulder. Her eyes met with piercing blue ones, a head of ringlets of blonde hair bouncing as the girl ran. "Gabbi," She whispered breathlessly, whipping her head back around to face the head of raven hair in front of her.

As the hall opened into a wider passage, space suits hung on the walls beside them, all labeled with the names of the crew of the 'Stargazer'. Sophia snatched hers off the wall and continue running, not bothering to check for more people that trailed behind her. Her eyes darted across the familiar white hallways as she opened the airlock to the ship. Navigating to the cockpit almost mindlessly, her legs somehow knowing where to take her. When she made it in, she found Sylvia and Leo already firing up the engines, not losing any of their previously known knowledge despite the months that separated them from their last encounter.

"Heads up!" Someone shouted behind her, she turned around and saw that it was Eddie, he lightly tossed her space helmet, she caught it and held it to her chest, jogging over to the assigned seats that she and Eddie occupied beforehand.

She managed to crack a grin despite the circumstances. "Thanks," Eddie's eyes drifted behind her and widened in surprise.

"Is that Willow?" He asked, her hair was noticeably longer, her skin paler, and somewhat thinner. Sophia nodded and started situating herself in the straps of the tight seat. "She looks so different, I haven't seen her in-"

"Eddie." Sophia cut him off, grabbing him by his hand and pulling him down into the seat next to her. "Now is not the time for small talk, this is life and death. Now get ready."

He rolled his eyes in annoyance and pulled aggressively at the metal buckle until it clicked in place. Clipping various other safety belts to latches and buckles on his suit. Everyone around him doing the same.

Leo elbowed Sylvia playfully as he pulled the choke on the engines. "Just like old times eh?" She rolled her eyes and elbowed him back twice as hard.

"Yeah because those were just such great memories weren't they scooter." He laughed and turned on the intercoms for the entire ship.

"Emergency evacuation in motion, launch in T-15 seconds." Sylvia scoffed at his attempt at sounding professional.

"'Emergency evacuation in motion.' You sound like a ninety-year-old man." She mimicked, doing a rather poor impression of the boy's noticeably deeper voice.

He flicked a red lever on the control panel. "Shut up loser," The two heard muffled laughs coming from their earpieces, Leo flushed red at the realization that the comms were still on.

"How much time left now ninety-year-old man?" Someone giggled through the speaker, the voice seemed to belong to someone unfamiliar to most of the crew, but no one thought anything of it.

"It's ninety-seven-year-old man to you," Leo replied annoyedly before checking the launch time. "T-5 seconds."

The familiar whir of the engines vibrated through the cockpit, the slight rocking of the ship as it disconnected itself from its docking point. A voice of a familiar general cracked through the speakers, despite the static and glitches, the crew could half understand what the man was saying.

"You did- once, Star-azer you can sur-ive a-ain on yo-'re own. We'll see- soon, coming for- re-cue. All the- ship- I-" The crackled message split off into nothing as the 'Stargazer' slowly inched forward, Sylvia steering carefully to not hit any debris or nearby ships. After all, it was a temporary evacuation, there was no need to go out of eyesight of the 'Albatross'.

With their luck, this wasn't the case. A fiery explosion engulfed the mothership, the tips of the flames licking at the edges of the surrounding ships. The 'Stargazer' whipped out of control, rocking and rolling tediously through the endless terrain that we call space. The familiar voice of the AI programmed on the ship started speaking, alarmed. The red lights blinded the crew as they reflected off the endless curved pane of transparency at the front of the 'Stargazer'.

"Why does this always happen!?" Sylvia screeched as the 'Stargazer' lurched forward, then almost entirely flipped as she tried to no avail of gaining control of its handling. "Crap!" She winced as a loud scraping sound was heard, a sharp slice of metal debris from undoubtedly the 'Albatross' slid across the side of their vessel.

A sharp jolt rocked most of the crew to unconsciousness, the younger members and the unprepared. The watch leaders braced themselves for the endeavor already present again. The atmosphere thick around them with smoke and fire, all thoughts of peace left behind by the present impression of the underworld.