a bedroom. The bulkhead flexed intermittently in an alarming fashion, accompanied by the shriek and groan of overstressed metal.
Not much time before the wall goes and we go with it. Sweeping the pale light over the room, he found the children huddled together against one overturned bed. “Hi, remember me? I’m Nick. I was on the shuttle with you guys a few days ago.”
“You took the knife away from the lady. And you rescued Gianna when she was drowning.” Paolo nodded in the gloom. He got up and pulled his sister forward, dragging her with one chubby hand clamped around her wrist. She eyed Nick dubiously, left thumb firmly planted in her mouth, the other hand clutching the big teddy bear.
“Okay, Paolo, you seem like a pretty level-headed trooper,” Nick said, squatting to be at eye level with the boy. “We need to get out of here as fast as possible. You see the outer wall there?”
Paolo nodded. “It’s going to break, isn’t it?”
Nick tried to be reassuring. “We’ll be long gone first. Now, can you help me get your sister –”
“Her name’s Gianna.” The boy pushed his sister closer to Nick.
“Help me get Gianna to crawl out through all the mess to my friends? We’ve made a tunnel for you. She’ll have to leave her toy, though.”
The girl hugged the bear tightly and shook her head, trying to retreat from her brother and Nick. “Won’t,” she informed Nick, taking her thumb out of her mouth briefly.
“Sweetheart, we have to go. It’s going to get pretty windy and cold in here soon.” Don’t scare her, if she retreats deeper into the wreckage, might not be able to retrieve her. With an effort, Nick kept his voice level and calm.
“Carry me.” She raised her arms to him, the bear dangling in one grubby hand.
“Sorry, I can’t, there isn’t room,” he said with a small laugh, reaching out to tousle her hair. “We have to crawl. It’s like a game but really important. Tell her, Paolo.”
“Captain, what’s going on? Did you find them?” Khevan yelled from the other side of the debris barrier. “We’re running out of time.”
Nick ignored him, focusing on the scared children. He kept his voice reasonable. “Okay, Gianna, I tell you what, you go first and then your brother will follow. The bear and I’ll bring up the rear.”
She regarded him solemnly with huge eyes. “Promise?”
“I promise.” Hurriedly he crossed his heart.
She thrust the bear at him. “He’s not a toy. His name is Huntington the Bear.”
Good thing no one I know is here to see this. Nick took the bear, said, “Hello, Huntington,” and tucked it under his arm. Gently clutching the girl’s shoulder with his free hand, he steered her to the small crawlspace he had come through, right outside the bedroom door. Paolo followed.
“I’m sending the girl through,” he yelled, then moved aside to let Gianna creep on her hands and knees. “See the light?” he asked, pointing down the tunnel to where Khevan’s hand lamp gleamed faintly.
Gianna nodded, her curls bobbing.
“Crawl straight to the light, and be careful not to get your clothes or your hair snagged on anything, okay? Stay low.” Patting her shoulder, Nick waited while the child wriggled down the tunnel, stopping once or twice to look back at him for encouragement.
The next seconds were an eternity to wait. No sooner had Khevan shouted he had her and she and Mara were going out into the main corridor, then Nick nodded to Paolo. “Go ahead.”
The boy blinked. “My mommy –”
Give the kid credit, he doesn’t want to leave his mother behind. Nick squeezed Paolo’s shoulder. “I’ll check on her. You go ahead.”
“She’s dead, isn’t she?”
Too calm by half. Probably in shock . “I don’t know,” Nick said. “If I can get her out, I will, okay?”
“Okay. Don’t forget my sister’s bear.” Paolo pointed at the plush creature.
“I won’t,” Nick assured him.
“It’s important.”
“I got it,
Not much time before the wall goes and we go with it. Sweeping the pale light over the room, he found the children huddled together against one overturned bed. “Hi, remember me? I’m Nick. I was on the shuttle with you guys a few days ago.”
“You took the knife away from the lady. And you rescued Gianna when she was drowning.” Paolo nodded in the gloom. He got up and pulled his sister forward, dragging her with one chubby hand clamped around her wrist. She eyed Nick dubiously, left thumb firmly planted in her mouth, the other hand clutching the big teddy bear.
“Okay, Paolo, you seem like a pretty level-headed trooper,” Nick said, squatting to be at eye level with the boy. “We need to get out of here as fast as possible. You see the outer wall there?”
Paolo nodded. “It’s going to break, isn’t it?”
Nick tried to be reassuring. “We’ll be long gone first. Now, can you help me get your sister –”
“Her name’s Gianna.” The boy pushed his sister closer to Nick.
“Help me get Gianna to crawl out through all the mess to my friends? We’ve made a tunnel for you. She’ll have to leave her toy, though.”
The girl hugged the bear tightly and shook her head, trying to retreat from her brother and Nick. “Won’t,” she informed Nick, taking her thumb out of her mouth briefly.
“Sweetheart, we have to go. It’s going to get pretty windy and cold in here soon.” Don’t scare her, if she retreats deeper into the wreckage, might not be able to retrieve her. With an effort, Nick kept his voice level and calm.
“Carry me.” She raised her arms to him, the bear dangling in one grubby hand.
“Sorry, I can’t, there isn’t room,” he said with a small laugh, reaching out to tousle her hair. “We have to crawl. It’s like a game but really important. Tell her, Paolo.”
“Captain, what’s going on? Did you find them?” Khevan yelled from the other side of the debris barrier. “We’re running out of time.”
Nick ignored him, focusing on the scared children. He kept his voice reasonable. “Okay, Gianna, I tell you what, you go first and then your brother will follow. The bear and I’ll bring up the rear.”
She regarded him solemnly with huge eyes. “Promise?”
“I promise.” Hurriedly he crossed his heart.
She thrust the bear at him. “He’s not a toy. His name is Huntington the Bear.”
Good thing no one I know is here to see this. Nick took the bear, said, “Hello, Huntington,” and tucked it under his arm. Gently clutching the girl’s shoulder with his free hand, he steered her to the small crawlspace he had come through, right outside the bedroom door. Paolo followed.
“I’m sending the girl through,” he yelled, then moved aside to let Gianna creep on her hands and knees. “See the light?” he asked, pointing down the tunnel to where Khevan’s hand lamp gleamed faintly.
Gianna nodded, her curls bobbing.
“Crawl straight to the light, and be careful not to get your clothes or your hair snagged on anything, okay? Stay low.” Patting her shoulder, Nick waited while the child wriggled down the tunnel, stopping once or twice to look back at him for encouragement.
The next seconds were an eternity to wait. No sooner had Khevan shouted he had her and she and Mara were going out into the main corridor, then Nick nodded to Paolo. “Go ahead.”
The boy blinked. “My mommy –”
Give the kid credit, he doesn’t want to leave his mother behind. Nick squeezed Paolo’s shoulder. “I’ll check on her. You go ahead.”
“She’s dead, isn’t she?”
Too calm by half. Probably in shock . “I don’t know,” Nick said. “If I can get her out, I will, okay?”
“Okay. Don’t forget my sister’s bear.” Paolo pointed at the plush creature.
“I won’t,” Nick assured him.
“It’s important.”
“I got it,
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