"Just close your eyes and relax."
Sophia Ridge softly inspires Colonel Ruby Goddard while both women sat Indian style on the floor of the girls Meditation Chamber. It was also where the massive Aquarium containing the microscopic parasites that inhabited Sophia's every cell lived. Their kin anyway. Through Sophia, Ruby was privileged to hear a beautiful song hummed by the symphony of the room. Their harmony remarkable.
Ruby did her best. She wasn't used to digging in deep for inner peace. She tried not to laugh knowing that Sophia herself, before the accident she recklessly caused would have scoffed at this meditating crap. She had come a long way in a very short time. The lovely Colonel was incredibly glad to have her. Even if she was deemed the sexiest off limits woman in Pangaea. A nympho on lockdown. Yet, happy in her prison outfit.
"Breathing softly. Focused on finding Nirvana." Ruby speaks, "I can almost hear Kurt Cobain."
"That's my boys. They love Smells like Teen Spirit." Sophia chuckles, "Every song I sing they pick up on. It's amazing. Did I tell you I've started calling myself IBod?"
"Cute. Is that your superhero name? You just know James will find something better in time."
"Probably. So, do we trust the liar? He did get us trapped here on purpose."
"His mission was selfish but I genuinely believe in him. He wants to know who his parents are. Being born in this place must mean there is a way home. Right? James was in 2019 just like we were."
"I never thought of that. Holy Diver Mister Dio." Sophia giggles as her tiny friends pick up on a chorus of Ronnie James Dio's Holy Diver song. They did the Master service. It was eerie but beautiful.
"Speaking of Diver. I need to discuss something with you Sophia. I haven't even run this by James yet. It appears obvious to me that you might be the only strong candidate to swim south and find an entrance to wherever the Female Ganthorian is being held captive."
"Lucky me. I'm up for the challenge. Mom could phase through bedrock with me if she didn't disappear on us. Or Malcolm could...no that would require him to get way too big and risk destroying my entrance exit tunnel."
"Right. I doubt even he could survive the crushing depths of five miles down. No reason to risk his life."
"We could always just leave her there. After all she might evict us after we save her. Can she be trusted when we're not even certain if we can trust James?"
"Good point. You're growing up so fast Sophia. You might be taking after your Dad. Becoming quite the strategist. Circling back to examine the mission before charging head on."
"Private Sophia Ridge reporting for booty, I mean duty Colonel." She salutes with the wrong hand.
"Back to basic training Soldier."
They had a good laugh. Even baby Noble giggled in the Colonel's belly. Deciding to light up the letters H and A. For once the letters had meaning. Followed by the letters P and Y.
"Awww. Baby is Happy." Sophia pouts at the recognition.
Ruby could not stop smiling. Finally the Colonel crawls to her feet. Turning her back to Sophia she sighs, "Enough meditating. I feel like a salad. Eating for two now."
Looking at her walk away Sophia notes the Colonel's back light up the letter R. Since when did her back glow? Then it dawned on her.
"Are you calling me a HARPY? You little asshole."
"What was that Sophia?" Ruby stops at the door.
"Nothing Mommy. Come get me when you're ready to send me on vacation."
Sophia grew suspicious.
James Ian Pryce had battled depression for hours. Even his faithful pup Xander couldn't break him out of his funk. Although he knew quite a lot about History, including his own, he was far from knowing it all. Some things were just not privy to the Internet even in the year 2019 where he and his fellow survivors departed from. Things he would learn very soon would change his existence forever. Reality would be filled with both joy and heartbreak. In the meanwhile he chose to access deeper into the Ganthorian logs.
Yawning at the excessive amount of information in the data banks he prepares to give up when something catches his eye. Holographic images of the Female Ganthorian. How could he have missed them before now? Other than the logs mentioning her being on board there had been no actual images. The Ganthorians were notorious for their neglect of self documentation. There were literally no Diaries. No outgoing pictures of any one Crew member. Outside of surveillance feeds and actually seeing their deceased bodies nobody could recognize the race in an alien lineup.
Only a direct depiction from Area 51 and other known affiliations in the Secrecy game knew what they looked like. REGION above all kept certain things so buried that it was albeit impossible to know the truth. James had just been that smart to know where to dig. Hacking mainframes the world wide until he knew way too much. Giving himself away. REGION found their target. He let them. It was the only way to reach the truth. Against his parents wishes. Parents that were quite good at deception in their own right. Even he did not suspect their Ganthorian heritage.
The Pryce's maintaining the perfect family life. Careers. Pets. Home life. Hobbies. Raising a single boy with his intellect became a challenge. His thoughts on the past akin the future made him sad.
"Who's the cutie?" He hears the voice of Greta Winston behind him. Startled he refuses to jump.
"The Ganthorian female. She's young. My age maybe. Weird. I suspected much older. Her voice on the SOS call sounded older even."
"All this alien stuff is beyond me. How we planning on rescuing her?"
"Not many options. Five miles down would kill anyone but Sophia. Question is can she rescue her on her own? We might be sending her on a suicide mission."
"None of these here tinker toys can help us?"
"Narrow tunnels going down I hear. Tech here is not designed for small case deep sea diving. The outer hull if it had its shielding powered up could. But, its not and its too large. Ganthorians had bases under the oceans. Deeper than the Female is being held. But, like I said nothing would help enough."
"So it's damned if we do, damned if we don't."
"Something like that. Ruby's call on how or if we even do this."
"I feel sorry for that lil girl." Greta pouts examining the image of the female.
"Me too."
"You keep thinking Big Brain. I'm going outside to care for my critters."
"Yep."
Outside the crippled starship Malcolm Brand stared out into the desert. He, Elle, and Cam Light had searched high and low for her. Sophia finally telling them to chill. Having faith her Mom would turn up at some point. She knew that after catching she and Malcolm having sex was hard on her. Complicated by hearing her Father's voice through Cameron Scott's bond with Sabbath Black made her even more edgy.
Malcolm was going stir crazy. Having to stay outside the ship for fear of any unplanned size increase made sense but it was a lonely existence now. He was not the only one. The Roman Gaicazar had yet to set foot indoors. Choosing to reside out where he felt safer. Too much high tech gave him a sense of evil.
Thus the sounds of cattle and the rumblings of a soul controlled T-Rex made things dreadfully boring. Malcolm was ready for another salvage run. Anything to keep busy. But, with Ruby dealing with a fibbing James. Being pregnant and now powered up herself left the Colonel a bit unwound. He was needed here. For now.
As much as it was great to have Cameron back from the dead even their tight friendship seemed a bit strained. Mostly stemming from trust and the fact that there was a twin out there somewhere. Evil? Hard to say. Cameron himself needed time alone to sort out who he was.
"Wanna spar with me Mal?" Elle twirled a wooden staff she had made.
