Ground Two

Ready...

"You're not out of the clear yet," Soal said, her voice carrying over the dressing room door.

Lumina rolled her eyes, and pulled on a pair of freshly laundered jeans. "I know I'm in a slight fog from just waking up from a comma, but I knew we weren't orbiting around the sun just yet." Lumina pulled a hand through the sleeve of a plain, long sleeve tee. She waited to put her head through the collar. "Do you know how far away we are from Mars?"

"We've hardly even passed it yet. Why?"

Lumina thought about this for a moment, and then poked her head through her shirt. She adjusted the wrinkled fabric down over her torso. Then, hurrying herself, quickly slipped on some colorful socks and her black boots with metal soles. Lumina stumbled out the dressing room, her hands fumbling with her shoelaces, hopping on one foot.

Soal's eyes grew wide. "What in the world, Hera? Are you trying to act like a rampaging bull?"

Lumina slipped on the floor, falling flat on her butt. Pain shot up from her tailbone all the way to the thick of her skull. Lumina removed her fingers from pulling the bunny through the loop - or whatever they called it - and touched them to her aching tailbone, her face twisting in pain.

"You okay?" Soal crouched down and asked, her hand settling on Lumina's steepled knee.

Lumina let out a slow breath. She forced a strand of her hair out of her eyes. Patting Soal's hand, she responded, "fine. Thanks."

Soal got to her feet, and held a hand out towards Lumina. Lumina took it, and was helped to her own feet. She quickly bent down, tied her boot laces, and rushed off down the hallway.

"Hey! Wait up!" Soal called after her. Lumina heard the heavy tread of Soal's hurried footsteps. "Why are you in such a hurry Hera?" Soal asked when she managed to catch up.

Lumina massaged her tailbone. She knew it looked more like she was scratching her butt - very unlady like, but the pain still lingered, and it really hurt.

Lumina kept her eyes on what was ahead and answered Soal's question. "Once we pass Mars, the Earth will have no chance. Eventually, we'll be going through the asteroid belt, which will pummel the Earth, and all of humanity, into a dirt heap! Even if the Earth and a good percentage of its inhabitants survive that, the temperatures will begin to drop and turn all of the Earth into a very colorfully, decorated ice pop!"

"Didn't you already escape the waiting clutches of the asteroid belt?"

"Nearly, by creating a makeshift set of thrusters from that oxygen tank. But I wasn't even thinking about the asteroid belt at that point. I was just focused on getting home; putting the Earth back together, you know?"

"Even if it was just a coincidence, the thing got you out of harm's way."

"Are you suggesting that I build some powerful thrusters, oh, I don't know, in about a three-week period, to get us out of this mess!?" Lumina asked, a bit sarcastically.

Soal's eyebrows quirked and her lips tilted into one of her famous, mischievous expressions. She has a trick up her sleeve, Lumina thought.

Soal shoved her hands into the pockets of her jeans. She licked her lips and let her tongue stick to one of her canines before clearing her throat to speak. "Mr. Heinz Trattle of the 'Hoity-Toity class' - as you once liked to call him - has been smuggling a plan behind your back. And for quite some time, might I add!"

Lumina's eyebrows skyrocketed. "Oh, has he now!?"

Lumina whispered under her breath, "that dirty rat! I should've known!" Lumina trembled with anger, but tried to recompose herself. "What's he up to, and how do you know about this?"

Soal's lips continued to stretch until her teeth offset her lips natural hue. "She caught Lumina by the wrist and drug her forward. "Come with me."