The Children of Hamlin - Carmen Carter [70]
Terror overcame all reason. Ruthe dove through the last wall, screaming as she hit the icy cold vacuum of space beyond and the liquid was sucked from out of her lungs …
Deelor scrambled through the dark of the cabin, led by the sounds of Ruthe’s screams to the corner where she had been sleeping. He wrapped himself around her thrashing body and called her name over and over again until her cries gave way to sobbing and she stopped struggling against his embrace. Gradually, as he stroked her hair and continued a constant whisper of reassurances, the tension in her muscles eased. Toward morning, when she fell back into a restless sleep, Deelor left her side.
“Don’t look down,” said Yar as she led the others into the holodeck.
Beverly Crusher automatically checked her feet She was standing over a black pit, light-years away from the stars shining below. Fighting against a wave of vertigo, the doctor raised her eyes and concentrated on the orange sphere suspended in front of her. Data had suggested placing the Choraii bubble in a cosmic setting and Crusher had agreed that it would add to the reality of the experience. The result was stunning. And disorienting.
“You were warned,” said Troi with a sympathetic smile.
“Now, remember, don’t fight against breathing in.” Yar didn’t bother to disguise her obvious enjoyment at the opportunity to quote the doctor’s advice back to her. “Just inhale the liquid. Nothing to it.”
“Thank you, Tasha,” said Crusher dryly. She reminded herself that this was only a holodeck simulation, not an actual Choraii ship, but that knowledge was of little help once she had slipped through the entry portal into the alien environment. Bobbing gently in the liquid interior, her body refused to accept her mind’s order to breathe.
With expert breast strokes, the doctor swam to Jason’s side. Yar had transported him directly from sickbay to the center of the projection. He was still floating in a ball, but one less tightly curled than before. Crusher reached for the scanner strapped to her side and began her medical inspection. A wide pass over his body showed that his system had fully metabolized the last trace of sedatives; brain activity indicated that he was aware of her presence. That was a definite improvement in his condition.
Crusher swam back to the portal, but just before leaving the bubble she forced herself to take a quick breath of the atmosphere, filling her lungs with the unaccustomed weight and pressure of liquid. Crusher’s respect for Yar increased severalfold. The security chief had guts.
“It’s working,” said Crusher upon her exit. She gathered up her hair and wrung out the remains of the watery interior. Rivulets of liquid coursed down over her uniform, pooling on the surface of the invisible deck. “He’s coming out of it.”
“Yes,” agreed Troi with less enthusiasm. The emotions she sensed from Jason’s awakening were far from reassuring.
Patrisha was still holding the textbook in her hands when Dnnys entered the room.
“That’s mine,” he said tightly.
“I’m sorry, Dnnys. I didn’t mean to pry.” She laid the book down on the cabin dresser, next to the clothes she had pulled out from the drawers. “I was packing your things for our arrival on New Oregon. You’ve been so busy lately … ” Her finger trailed over the title of the book. “I can see why now.”
He dropped his gaze to the floor. “I’m not sorry. Whatever the punishment, I won’t say I’m sorry.”
“No, I wouldn’t expect you to,” sighed Patrisha. “If Tomas hasn’t beat any sense into you by now, there’s no hope left.”
Her son’s head jerked back up, his eyes flashing with anger. “You don’t believe in their silly rules. Why should I?”
Patrisha felt her throat tighten with fear. “Is it that obvious?” she asked.
“Maybe not to the others, but I could tell.”
“And this book. What will you gain from reading it?”
“A mechanics license,” said Dnnys. “And passage off New Oregon on the first freighter that needs an extra hand.”
Jason could be seen from the outside of the Choraii bubble, but only as a