The Solar Wind (33 page)

“Ava!” He said enthusiastically as he swept her up in a passionate bear hug and kissed her. She returned both sentiments as she was, deep down, very happy to see him despite her suspicions. “What’s wrong? Are you all right?” He inquired, looking directly into her eyes, seeming to sense her emotions almost immediately.

“Nothing’s wrong,” she replied calmly. “I’m fine.”

He held the back of his hand up to her forehead gently, and then to her cheeks, feeling for signs of illness perhaps. How does he always know? Ava thought. “I’m not sick. Really, everything’s okay.” She decided now was not the time to launch her questioning session with him. “How was your flight and your mission this week?” She changed the subject.

“Smooth sailing, as always.” He smiled at her. “I’m happy to see you again.”

Ava stood there with him and tried to concentrate on the sensation of his presence, and the sensation of his touch on her skin. There it was, she could feel something. She wasn’t imagining things. She truly could feel some type of warm energy, flowing through him. He looked directly at her with a knowing glance, as if he understood what she was doing. He ignored it. “Are you hungry? I’m famished. I was going to suggest we meet up with the crew, but why don’t you and I do our own thing tonight?”

“I’d like that,” Ava agreed.

“Come, let’s get going.” He gently placed an arm around her shoulders after she grabbed her ID and then they were out the door.

Dinner was not as awkward as Ava imagined it would be. They fell into their usual behavior of being lovebirds. Holding hands, laughing, smiling, and catching up. Ava seemed to feel more balanced when he was near. She couldn’t explain it. There were a lot of things going on that she could not explain lately, she thought.

After they had finished eating and Wesley took care of the bill he asked her what she would like to do next. Ava knew what she wanted. “Why don’t we take a walk near the Square? I don’t feel much like sitting still tonight.”

“All right, the Square it is.”

Wesley sensed that something was on her mind and that she wanted to talk. He prepared himself to potentially answer her questions. He didn’t really know what to expect from her tonight, she seemed kind of lost. He sympathized, the energy within her was probably affecting her ability to remain her normal focused and calm self. It’s only temporary, he reassured himself silently. They stopped at a kiosk and he bought them some flavored coffees to sip on as they walked.

Ava struggled to find the words. She didn’t really know where to begin. “Wesley?”

“Yes.”

“I have noticed that I feel a little different since I got out of the hospital.”

“How different?”

“Well, for one, I’ve been really hungry. I mean, it’s extreme. I know that if I consumed the calories that I do now before I was hospitalized I’d probably weigh 250 pounds.”

“Go on,” he replied patiently.

“And, I’ve also noticed some other things as well.”

He waited for her to continue.

“I’m really moody, even Dr. Tom noticed it.”

“Dr. Tom?”

“He stopped by my desk this week to ask me how I was doing.”

“Dr. Tom needs to move on. His little crush on you is starting to irritate me. Would you like me to speak with him?”

“No. That won’t be necessary. I told him I was not interested. I practically yelled at him. It was hard for me to control myself, I felt so angry.”

“Good, he needs to know how you feel.”

“My point is not about Dr. Tom. It’s about how I’ve been feeling really sensitive lately. To emotions, to sensations, . . . to you. It’s unusual for me.”

“Sweetheart, you went through a very emotional time in the hospital. Near death experiences are stressful. No wonder you feel off center.”

“Stop trying to change the subject. You always try to assure me it’s nothing, but I know it’s not!” Ava raised her voice and some people passing by looked at them. It’s happening again, she thought, I’m losing control.

“Ava, please calm down. Let’s go back to your quarters and talk about this.” He gently took her hand in his and unloaded his empty coffee cup into a nearby recycling bin.

Ava took a deep breath and nodded, feeling relief that he was willing to listen to her and that he was right about needing privacy to discuss the subjects she wanted to talk about.

Deep down in the core, Kaden’s project of pay back ticked away. There were mere seconds left. It was the perfect crime. No one suspected anything, no one knew anything, and no one interfered.

Wesley and Ava were nearly out of the Square when he stopped suddenly and grabbed her, startling her, causing her to drop her coffee. No one knew what was happening as they heard the loud noise of the explosion and then felt the aftershocks. The explosion rocked the station mercilessly. The sounds of thousands of screaming people were muted by the creaking and groaning of millions of tons of twisting metal. Lights flickered and sparks flew as unknown parts of the wall and ceiling began to collapse. Orionis’ core had been breached and the station was now unstable. Red emergency lights flashed and sirens started shrieking. The sound was even more deafening than the screams and cries from the crowds, who had nowhere to go.

Wesley had Ava on the ground, his arms protectively wrapped around her. The massive jolt had knocked almost everyone down to the ground. Everywhere people were screaming, trying to get up, and running. Ava, dazed and as yet unable to comprehend what had just happened, gasped as Wesley scooped her up and ran down the nearest avenue and into a well supported store front, away from the stampeding crowds. She could not believe the strength and agility he possessed, it was almost unreal. When he stopped he set Ava down on her feet. Amidst the chaos and the debris raining down he spoke to her, practically shouting to be heard.

“Ava, are you all right? Are you hurt?”

“No. You?”

“No.” He kept an arm on her and stood protectively in front of her while he grabbed his PCD that was blinking wildly and started shouting rapidly in French into the device. Ava’s ability to speak French had improved greatly during her friendship with the crew, but, unable to keep up, she was at a loss to understand what was being said now. It seemed like an eon that Wesley conversed with the Crew on the ship. Over the roar of the crowds she could hear Andre’s voice as Wesley held the PCD close to his ear to hear it. He finished his conversation and put the PCD back on his belt.

“What happened Wesley?” Ava’s voice trembled.

“There apparently was an explosion near the core. The whole station is unstable. The system shows that parts of Level 9 through Level 12 are collapsing. We have to get out of here now!” He grabbed her arm and started guiding her towards the hangar.

“Wait!” She resisted. The gravity of the situation had finally struck her.

“Ava, come on. We don’t have a minute to waste. The ITO has initiated the evacuation procedures. We have to leave now so that the rescue ships that have been summoned can enter the hangar to save as many people as they can.”

“That’s just it Wesley, I can’t leave with you now.”

“What!?”

“I have to stay with the OMC patients. It’s part of my job to lend assistance to help with the evacuation and care of the patients. I have to report to the OMC!”

“Ava, forget about the OMC! Do you realize what is happening? The whole station is compromised. There could be another explosion at any minute, not to mention the gravity stabilizers are failing. I can already sense the station is turning on its axis. Pretty soon we’ll all be walking on the walls; that is if the oxygen leaks don’t kill us first.”

“I have to go to the OMC. I can’t leave all of those people! They are helpless!” Ava was very familiar with the OMC’s rules regarding evacuation. They had a drill once a month at the clinic. Each staff member knew their duty. Surprisingly, despite the corrupt ITO system, patients and medical staff were among the first priority for evacuation. Ava had been through the drill many times and knew exactly where to report. She was supposed to rendezvous to the main lobby in the OMC and receive direction as to which patients to escort to the hangar from there. “I can’t abandon my job, Wesley, they need my help.”

Wesley could not believe what he was hearing. The station could implode any second and they had a sure way to safety but she was not cooperating. He knew Ava was a kind, caring person who cared deeply about her patients. Her adamant stand to help them now was touching. Perhaps he was being a bit selfish. He could not lose her now, he would stay with her no matter what. If things got worse, he could always grab her and teleport them back to the ship.

“Very well then, I’m coming with you.”

He pulled his PCD out with one hand and began speaking rapidly to the crew. Wesley placed his other arm around her shoulder and guided her back towards the OMC. It seemed as though they were fighting the crowds, going the opposite direction from the hangar towards the OMC. Luckily, the Square and the OMC both resided on Level 3. Wesley wondered how they would be able to assist with the transport of patients up to the hangar on Level 1. The ITO military officers were out in force doing an impressive job of trying to maintain order. They cleared the emergency passageways meant only for transport of patients from the various medical facilities. Wesley had never been in an actual evacuation before, only a precautionary near miss experience that went down the same way many years ago on Sceptrum. He remembered how confusing and panicked the hangar had been as people tried to force their way through security to get on one of the evacuation starships. He knew it was only a matter of time before the ITO would force The Andromeda’s departure so another rescue ship could land in its place to evacuate the residents of Orionis.

The lights flickered eerily as the two of them made their way to the OMC lobby, the meeting point. Surprisingly the streets leading up to the medical center were clear, save for the first battery powered vehicles roaring past them, filled over capacity with patients on the way to the emergency lifts to the hangar. As Ava and Wesley arrived in the lobby, Ava spotted Dr. Grant, the designated OMC evacuation officer, and ran over to him for her assignment.

“Ava! Thank God, we were hoping you would make it. Believe it or not, you are one of the first providers to respond.” Dr. Grant quickly said as soon as they approached.

He nodded towards Wesley, “Captain Robinson.”

“Dr. Grant, what will be my assignment?” Ava replied breathless, having run most of the way to the OMC.

Dr. Grant held an electronic tablet in his hands, scanning the patient roster which included those patients in the lobby waiting for transport and those still in the OMC, being transported down. Other doctors and administrators, as well as ITO officers were swarming about in a flurry of activity, seeing that the evacuation ran as well as the practice drills did. “Just as we practiced in the drills, our rendezvous point with ourselves and our patients will be on Capri. The Solar Wind has just arrived to take our first patients. Believe it or not, it is already almost full. Once it has reached capacity, the next ship will be brought in and so on. The same process is happening for the residents of Orionis, only it is going much faster. The first starship for them has already come and gone, only the residents are being taken to Antares.”

Wesley listened to this information carefully, ready to think critically how he could somehow help Ava fulfill her duties and then get the two of them back to the Andromeda before it was forced to lift off.

Dr. Grant continued. “I want you to go with the next group to the ship and then on with them to Capri. They are already preparing a temporary hospital for our critically ill patients and beds for our stable patients. I’m entering the information and your clearance to board now.” One of the techs came towards Ava and handed her an electronic tablet, the same as the one Dr. Grant held. “This is your assignment and the patients that you will be responsible for on board with as well as the nursing staff assigned to work with you. You will stay with your group of patients on Capri. Unfortunately, not everyone that we have assigned to work has shown up. The panic is widespread and I fear that our staff will not report for their duty they are required to do. The driver in the nearest vehicle waved at Dr. Grant, indicating it was time to leave. “Go now Ava. Thank you for diligence and your compassion. Everything will be just fine, I’ll see you on Capri.”

With that, before Ava could reply, Dr. Grant turned and ran back towards a group of doctors for an update on the evacuation process. “Come on!” Wesley shouted. The lights began flickering erratically again. The two of them ran towards the open framed rescue vehicle loaded with patients. As she ran, Ava could tell that the station did seem to be rotating on its axis, there seemed to be a small tilt to everything. She wondered how long it would take for a station of Orionis’ size to rotate completely on its side. There was a seat for Ava at the back. Wesley climbed up and stood on the bumper behind her, gripping onto the frame with one hand, speaking into his PCD with the other. As soon as the two of them were in place, the driver took off, the patients gasped as the vehicle tore through the streets, dodging a returning vehicle. Ava quickly counted the patients in the vehicle recognizing some of them, twenty two, plus Ava and Wesley. Ava did feel slightly relieved that since she was one of the first providers to report for duty that she would be one of the first residents off the deteriorating station. She wondered how the night would end. She had been assigned to go to Capri, Wesley wanted her to go with him. What should she do? Between what had happened to her before coming to Orionis, her adventures with Wesley and his crew afterwards, and now this, Ava began to wonder whether or not she would actually ever live a normal life.