The wailing of sirens filled his ears as bright red lights streaked across his vision, blinding him. He could feel the tug of the hand holding his as he was pulled along down endless white corridors tinted red from the lights of the screaming alarms. He felt fear, and it could be seen in his blue-green eyes as he managed to look at the one leading him through the chaos. The taller young man glanced back at him and tried for a reassuring smile, but as another loud boom shook the steel beneath their feet it faded back into a worried scowl.
Coming to another turn he felt the other freeze and looked ahead to see several dead bodies that had been gruesomely murdered. There was blood covering the floor and walls, intestines pulled out, eyes gouged, limbs twisted unnaturally and broken. Seeing such a sight for even a moment caused him to panic and he looked away with wide eyes.
BOOM!!!
The blast was much closer this time, and the two stumbled and nearly fell from the shock of it. Before he had any time to think, he felt a hand come over his eyes, shielding them from the carnage.
"We have to hurry." He heard the voice say before he felt himself being led down the hall. He could still sense the bodies around him, and felt his breathing change as he stepped in some blood. The other didn't let him stop though; they pushed on and soon enough they'd reached a large room filled with cryosleep chambers.
The hand lifted from his eyes and they hurried to one of the pods. There was no one else there; was no one left besides them? The other got the pod open and helped him inside, strapping him in. He stared at the other as he prepared to put him to sleep, reaching out to touch him. He had so many things he wanted to say, but he couldn't find his voice. It was going to be okay now, right? He'd wake up and they'd both be safe, wouldn't they? They'd see each other again.
"It'll be okay, I promise." The other said before leaning down and planting a kiss on his lips. He pressed a button and the top of the pod began to close. The smaller young man watched the other from inside the pod as it sealed shut. He saw his lips move, but the machine was too loud to tell what he'd said.
"Echo...." He said, feeling afraid. Suddenly the chamber filled with gas and before he knew it his eyes slipped shut and everything faded away...
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The empty, dark silence was interrupted. As if from nowhere he suddenly heard distant muffled voices. He started to become more aware, feeling his body again after an uncertain amount of time.
"
mhnn..."
He made a sound, too weak to open his mouth or eyes. His whole body felt weighted, as if he was wearing clothes made of stone. The voices were becoming clearer, although he couldn't understand them. What language was that? What was going on? Where was he? Where was Echo???
After a hard struggle he managed to open his eyes a slit. His vision was blurred, but he could make out several forms leaning over him.
".......
Ech...
o....." He breathed. He could see them looking at him and then each other. Who were they? He couldn't see well enough to tell. He watched one of them get something, then felt a strange prick in his arm. The next thing he knew a warmth filled his veins and he felt himself slipping back to sleep. Had he just been drugged? What was happening to him?
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The captain of the scavenger ship Kismet gave a stretch. He had a pleased look on his face as he leaned back in his chair and watched space drift slowly by. Today was the day he'd earn the fortune he'd always dreamed of. He had the ultimate prize; a once-extinct life form from nearly 1,000 years ago. Needless to say that the bidding war for such a creature was quite intense. Anyone with a large enough account was trying to get their hands on him, but of course only one could win. Said winner would be arriving soon to collect his prize, and make the captain and his crew rich beyond their wildest dreams. When they'd stumbled upon that old human space station he'd known they'd find something of value, but he'd had no idea they'd have found a living human! They were not only going to be rich, they'd go down in history as the crew to discover a long-lost race!
There was a knock on the door and the captain turned in his seat.
"Yes?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. One of his crew entered and gave a wave in greeting.
"Captain, the buyer's ship is docking now."
"Very good." The captain replied.
"Get the human out of storage and bring it here, and make sure it's still unconscious. I don't want it giving us trouble." He ordered.
The crewman nodded and left. Within a few minutes he and a couple other men returned with the human, who was in a drugged sleep. He was pale and seemed a bit short compared to human remains that had been found in the past. His body was thin and his hair was about shoulder length and was a light gray with faded light-green tips. The clothes he had on were almost clinical in appearance with a white, almost tunic-like, shirt that snapped closed at the left shoulder and side and white pants. He was currently barefoot.
"Lay him down and make sure someone helps our guest find his way." The captain grunted. He couldn't wait to get his hands on that money. He could already picture what he would do with it, and the images were making him grin. A few of the men left to escort the buyer, who by now would have been landing in the docking bay of the ship. They approached it and hailed him, motioning him to follow them back with them to where the captain was waiting.
