Through Time, Darkly

[Pryce]

[color=#FFFF00]Main Hangar


Graham raised an eyebrow. "Who's to say that they weren't?"


For a moment everyone pondered the comment.


Donovan frowned. "I would say everyone. We haven't heard or seen anything remotely similar to Mr Doyle here, and the Institute has been putting out feelers for weeks. Surely a collection of similar vessels would have gotten attention."


Grahams mustache twitched, and he replied; "I'm not so sure. From what I've gathered from Mrs. Ellis and Doctor Morris, the Lieutenant, most especially near the time of his arrival, made some effort to keep a low profile. Considering the circumstances, I can certainly imagine why. Consider what a strange enviroment this must be for him. I imagine any other individual sharing his origin would feel the same. It is a large sector, and ships can easily remain far from attention."



Samantha Ross spoke; "Pardon me Doctor Graham, but the Lieutenant has made it quite clear that he arrived here alone." She leaned forward slightly, and she brushed a strand of auburn hair from her face.


Graham replied, looking at Doyle; "As far as he knows."

A quizzical look crossed Donovans' face as Graham continued; "Consider this. Despite being launched near the same time, the sleeper ships arrived in Sirus sector years apart, and some distance apart; in the case of the Hispania and the Gallia, on the other side of the sector. A different outcome for each ship, either due to individual course corrections, damage, and so on. The best efforts to get us here still resulted in humanity scattered completely across the sector. I suspect other travelers from Sol, if they are indeed here, are not recognized as such, may have been killed during transit, or from meeting the wrong people. Or they simply may not have arrived yet.


"Do you really believe that there could be others?" Doctor Ross asked.


Graham replied; "I would say that the Institute should still be looking for others like Lieutenant Doyle. If indeed a technology was used to bring him here, there may have simply been miscalculations in it's use, which strikes me as likely if the process had to be hurried. Others could be arriving at any moment, indeed anywhere in Sirius."


Owens frowned, considering how to reply.


[color=#FFFF00]Cabin 12, Deck 2

Angela Wight keyed the chime to Denises' room. A long pause before she nervously keyed it again.


Denise answered, and Angela realized Denise had been crying, the makeup having run a little. She also seemed to have recently woken up.


"I'm sorry to...bother you Denise. I'm in trouble. I think I'm in trouble."


Densie became a little more alert, and asked cautiously; "Why? What's wrong?"


A question I should be asking you she thought "I can't find the chip from my sensor pak." She said. Her eyes were wide, and she was shaking a little.


Denise replied; "Is that all?" Denise spoke softy. "Where did you have it last?"


"It was in my helmet." She had remembered more clearly now.

"Okay, so maybe you took it back down to the hangar with you and..."


"No." Angela interrupted. I had forgot to take it with me...but that was after I put my helmet away.." Her eyes brightened. "...and I saw it then! It was in the back of the helmet as I took it off."


Denise replied. "It has been a long couple days Angela, I'm sure we'll find it somewhere. Anyway, I guess we should get back the hangar. Doctor Ross is going to be wondering whats happened to us." She yawned. "I guess I nodded off..."

"I'm going to be in so much trouble when Doctor Ross asks for the chip." Angela was looking dejectedly down at her feet. She looked worried. "It has the best proof of Him being different. The complete readouts the pak took of him and the ship."


"Don't worry, we'll find it. In the meantime, we'll just have to work off of mine." Denise crossed the room, pulled the helmet off her closet shelf, and turned it over.


There was an empty slot were the data chip should have been.

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