Shred Of Fragments

Chapter 9 : Zero Hour

Warning is at the end of the fic, be save <3

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The rain stopped after a couple of days.

Or, to be more precise, the temperature began to drop and the water vapor in the air started to condense as the wind blew hard  enough to make everything around them shiver like a leafy blanket.

They were supposed to be getting out of this place soon.

After all, the weather had been dreadful for days. Even though it was no longer pouring with the sun was peeking over the horizon, an ominous grey cloud cover are still determined to stay. Regardless of how nothing else is moving save a holwing wind and the occasional drop of water striking the ground.

Given the dire state, it's no surprise that Planet Mires was abandoned so early over the past century. It was no longer worth saving when the ground became toxic and the skies were always covered in the dark, even during the day. Terrible storms that had been raging for decades now served only to make the entire earth a dismal mess. Not like it hadn't already been that way.

Now that the weather seemed ready to turn back the clock and start again, there was absolutely no reason why anyone would want to spend another moment on the forsaken planet.

Unfortunately luck in not on their sides tonight.

"Why are we wasting time here anyway?" Ice protested from his spot on the other side of the cockpit where he sat with his back pressed against the window. He couldn’t help himself from peeking at their surroundings  every once and a while. "The weather is clear enough. Why can’t we just go now? We don’t need to look at anything else."

"You're being impatient," Halilintar started as he carefully maneuvered the ship over a thick layer of mud that covered half of the valley they were flying through. Halilintar didn't even have to  lift his head from the controls to know Ice was fidgeting uncomfortably behind him. "I'll let you know that our surrounding area is not suitable for a landing yet. You saw those sea of muds? It screams ‘no landing zone’ right away. If we land down here, the ground might shift underneath us since it's been raining so heavily."

Halilintar took his eyes off the controls momentarily to stare outside the window. In his left hand, he held onto the steering wheel and the ship was moving smoothly across the muddy valley. His right hand gripped the small control stick he kept tucked away by his leg, ready to pull the ship up at any moment.

"This damned planet," He cursed under his breath. "It has nothing good about it."

"I know. It's a horrific place." Ice left out the part where there were some pretty scary animals dwelling down here. He didn't want to give it too much thought.

"Can't we just go now? why should we find a spot to land in this case when it's so dangerous?"

He received a sigh for his troubles. "We can't leave." Halilintar explained with eyes darting between each corner of the cockpit, watching for any potential problems. "The ship got damaged pretty badly because of the storm yesterday and repairs aren't finished yet. You know how slow those machines are."

His older brother looked a bit crestfallen and Ice thought that his voice sounded a little sad. But if he really wanted to know what was wrong, he had to ask.

"What if the weather improves tomorrow?" Ice questioned hopefully.

"You'd better hope it does," Halilintar scoffed with a hint of annoyance in his tone. “Not only are we going to have to stay here for another day, but the fact that we can’t leave the area at all means that I’m stuck having to pilot these things until the repairs finish.”