Liv let out a sigh as she looked back at Jane who was messing around with her equipment. They had been at the place where the aurora was supposed to be for the past hour and nothing had happened. The sun had set long ago and Jane continued to tell them that it would happen any minute now.
Darcy had fallen asleep about twenty "only a few more minutes" ago while Liv was on the verge of sleep herself. Liv made eye contact with Erik who only gave her a tired smile and a small roll of his eyes which made her laugh softly.
Jane stopped her tinkering and looked down at her sister. "You two can stop making fun of me," Jane said jokingly. "We're not making fun of you," Liv assured her. "We're just a little concerned that we came all the way out here for nothing."
"I know this is taking longer than expected, but I promise you this isn't for nothing. The aurora is going to happen," Jane said sternly as she went back to her machine. "Only a few more minutes now."
Liv sighed at that and watched as Jane pressed a few buttons. Jane then looked over at Liv and asked, "Can you turn off the headlights?" Liv sat up in the driver's seat and turned off the lights. "Now press that button," Jane directed as she pointed at a button to Liv's left. Liv presses the button and her head instantly shot up once she heard a loud sound coming from the top of the van.
Liv watched in amazement as the whole top of the van opened up. "Wow. You've really gone all out haven't you?" Liv asked. Jane blushed and shrugged, "This is my work. I love it just as much as you love your advertising job."
Yeah, so Jane had no clue what Liv actually does.
Jane thinks Liv works for some big advertising corporation up in New York. Why she actually believed Liv when they both knew she had never shown interest in advertising? No one knows, but if it was able to keep Jane off her trail then Liv wasn't going to be the one to question it.
Liv smiled softly and avoided eye contact. "I do love my job," Liv said. Just not the job you think, she thought.
Jane picked up a device that she had described to Liv as an magnetometer before she stood on top of the seats to help lift herself halfway out of the van. Erik stood up with her while Liv lightly nudged Darcy awake. Darcy groaned and opened her eyes, "Is it over? Did I miss it?" "You didn't miss anything," Liv told her. "Can you guys be quiet down there?" Jane asked. Liv and Darcy looked at each other before rolling their eyes, but both went quiet.
A few minutes of silence passed by before Erik glanced over at Jane. "Wait for it," Jane said as she continued to stare up at the sky. "Can I turn on the radio?" Darcy asked as she reached for the radio. Liv chuckled softly and nudged her. "No," Jane said and Darcy huffed as she sat back down in her seat.
"Jane, you can't keep doing this," Erik said making Liv sit up in her seat. She looked over at Darcy and questioned, "Keep doing this?" Darcy gave her a weak smile and Liv sighed as she sat back in her seat.
"The last seventeen occurrences, had been predictable - to the second," Jane rambled. "Seventeen!" Liv exclaimed, but Jane ignored her. "Jane... You're an astrophysicist not some storm chaser," Erik said.
"I'm telling you, there's a connection, between these atmosphere disturbances and my research. Erik, I... I wouldn't have asked you to fly out here, if I wasn't absolutely sure," Jane told him.
"Seventeen," Liv muttered in disbelief. She put her head in her hands with a groan before dramatically dragging them down her face as she looked back up. Darcy chuckled softly, but her laughter stopped when her eyes caught sight of something.
"Liv?" Darcy whispered and Liv looked over at her. "Yeah?" Liv asked. "Is that-?" Darcy asked as she pointed out. Liv followed where she was pointing and her eyes widened at the sight of something approaching. Liv quickly reached back and whacked Jane's leg.
"Uh, Jane?" Liv asked. "I think you wanna see this!" Jane furrowed her eyebrows and got back into the van before looking out the window. "What is that?" Jane asked in amazement before she quickly went to the back of the van again. Liv glanced back at her sister and watched as Jane pulled herself back up onto a seat so she could look outside, Erik standing beside her.
"God! I thought you said, it was a subtle aurora," Liv heard Erik mutter, but he was quickly cut off by Jane. "Go!" Jane yelled. Liv's eyes widened and she quickly turned around in her seat before putting the van into drive and stepping on the pedal. The van immediately lurched forward and Liv winced when she heard a loud noise come from the back.
She didn't even have to turn around to know that Jane and Erik had fallen and hit the ground. "Sorry!" Liv yelled back while Darcy laughed from beside her.
Liv drove as fast as she can while Jane crawled up and squeezed herself in between the side of the car and Darcy. Liv glanced over at her to see that Jane was recording. "Get closer!" Jane yelled making Liv roll her eyes. "Yeah, right! Good one!" Darcy yelled. "Liv!" Jane groaned. "I'm trying!" Liv exclaimed.
Liv continued to drive forward, but her face dropped as the sky got darker and thunder boomed ahead. Jane laughed from beside her while Liv looked nervously ahead. Her eyes caught sight of something falling and her foot quickly hit the brake as something came crashing into the ground.
"Oh my God," Liv muttered before pressing the gas again and turning away. "What are you doing?" Jane yelled. "I'm not letting us all die because you want me to go towards the thing that just fell out of the sky!" Liv yelled back.
Jane huffed angrily and quickly reached over Darcy to grab ahold of the wheel. She then started to turn it back in the direction of the storm making the van roll into the dust storm. "Jane, stop!" Liv yelled as she quickly turned to wheel. "You stop!" Jane exclaimed as she tugged in the wheel again. "Both of you stop!" Darcy cried while the sisters both tugged on the wheel.
Liv glared at her sister and pushed her off before taking control of the wheel again. She turned back towards the road and her eyes widened as a figure came out of nowhere. Everyone in the van let out a scream and she quickly slammed on the brakes, but it was too late.
The van hit the figure before coming to a stop. Everyone inside watched in horror as the figure flew a few feet in front of them and landed on the ground.
Liv quickly put the van in park and turned it off, her hands then flying up and over her mouth. The van was silent as Jane, Darcy, and Erik all looked over at Liv.
"I think that was legally your fault," Darcy said.
Liv glared at Darcy before opening her door and getting out. "Get the first aid kit," she heard Jane say, but Liv didn't listen. She quickly ran over to the figure and fell down to her knees as her hands hovered over the person.
She looked around and her eyes widened as she realized that the storm was now gone. "I-" Liv muttered, but she quickly shook her head. There would be time to worry about the storm later. She needed to focus on the person she just hit.
Liv looked down right as Jane and the others cane running forward with flashlights. They pointed the light at the figure and Liv took in a sharp breath when she noticed the person, who she realized was a man, wasn't moving.
"Please, don't be dead," she whispered as her eyes scanned over the man that was lying in front of her. "Please, don't be dead."
Liv reached down and she grabbed the man's arm before checking for a pulse. She breathed out a sigh of relief when she realized that he was alive. "Thank the Lord," Liv muttered.
She looked up at her friends and said, "He's alive." Darcy and Erik sighed in relief, but Jane didn't seem to be paying attention as she looked around. "What is it, Jane?" Liv asked.
Jane furrowed her eyebrows and looked down at her sister. "There's nothing around and we're in the middle of the desert," Jane told her. Darcy gave her a confused look, but Liv realized where she was going with this.
Liv looked around and frowned when she realized Jane was right. Liv looked back down at the man in confusion before voicing Jane's thoughts.
"Where did he come from?"