The Space Between Us (WAYHAUGHT)

Chapter 13

Nicole sat on the couch staring at the door to her quarters. Desperate to run. Anywhere. To Waverly. Unable to stop her body shaking, tides of nausea forcing her to act. She bent over, managing to miss her boots.

A pounding in her head, tightening in her chest. Panic setting in. She stood, head spinning, narrowly avoiding what had been evacuated from her stomach. The sickly smell of alcohol hitting her nostrils.

She had to get air. She would go after Waverly. Steal a craft. Rescue her. They could go anywhere. Just the two of them. Free spirits in search of glory. Bad idea. She could hardly see straight, let alone fly a craft. She had to do something. She couldn't breathe. Where was Waverly?

Stolen from her.

Air. She needed air. She staggered towards the door, her mind screaming for Waverly. She used the wall of the corridor to guide her to the elevator. Doors opened. She stood, no longer knowing where to go, what to do.

She was powerless. Completely and utterly powerless. Unable to bring her back. Everyone had control of her life. Pulling at her strings. Making her dance to their tune. She couldn't think. She couldn't breathe. An unbearable pain in her chest. Her body fell in a heap inside the elevator.

Rosita was the first to find her. She called for help. They brought her to the medical bay, the holistic program administering sedation. Her heart rate slowed, breathing eased. Doc would leave her sleep out her nightmare. He stood watching her. The daughter of his dear friend reduced to this because of his actions.

He was beginning to have second thoughts. His decision to advise Legion had been a knee-jerk reaction to what Chetri had witnessed. A raging hangover had not helped. He acted, without considering the options, or consequences. Not the way he usually operated, preferring careful consideration before acting.

Annoyed at Nicole for not telling him, he considered it wiser to extract Waverly as quickly as possible. No discussion. No debate. No argument. Get her off the ship. Legion agreed. Better to remove the problem cadet, than throw away a Commander, especially one who would be an Elder.

If only Nicole recognised the power she wielded. She had always believed she was powerless against those who ruled her life. Far from it.

She had more power than she knew.

Power resting in one word.

One powerful word...

NO.

She could have threatened Legion with her resignation unless Waverly remained on her ship. With war looming, Legion would have bowed to her demand. Probably. A gamble. A risky gamble. Banking on Legion not wanting to lose face. They needed her. Did it even matter whose face was lost? She had the power to do what she wanted with her life.

If only someone had advised her to stand up to Legion. With her father dead, she had no one to guide her except Doc. The person she thought she could trust. The person who had conspired with Legion to banish her guiding star. All in a misguided attempt to keep her out of trouble.

Free from embarrassment.

...---... ...---... ...---...

Waverly sat alone behind the pilot, watching as Nicole's ship grew smaller in the window, eventually disappearing into the darkness. Their connection severed. A scout craft, dispatched from Mars under Legion's instructions, was taking her to Dolls. His ship was already on its way to rendezvous with another cargo of weapons. It would take several hours for the craft to catch up with it.

She pulled at several loose strands of hair, lost in thought. Lost without Nicole. Her Nicole, more vulnerable than she would ever admit. More inclined to repress than express her true feelings. The beautiful soul, with lost puppy eyes, who had entered her heart. Now she was leaving her behind. Not knowing when, if, she would see her again.