Thunder (G/T P!Septiplier)

The Night Eyes

"Any word?" Mark asked as the patrol entered the camp.

"Found lots of tracks," Ethan replied, "But I couldn't make any sense of them." Mark blinked.

"What?" Ethan dismissed the rest of the patrol before continuing the conversation.

"Cha. There were lots of burn marks and stuff from the landing site, small dents in the dirt from some kind of animal prints, stuff like that, but..." Ethan shook his head. "It didn't look like something from the sky, it looked... strange."

"Wh-what does that mean?" Mark wasn't sure what to make of it. "What do you mean, strange? True, we've never actually seen skyfÿre land, but it's all just rock isn't it?"

"That's the thing." Ethan's eyes swept nervously over the camp. "It wasn't rock. It was made of guard-metal, and shiny materials I have never seen before." A cold chill ran down Mark's spine.

"Do you mean," he murmured, "That there might be something out there in the woods not of our world? I mean, what if it was an egg, and a newly hatched creature is out there right now, unbalancing the Harmony and spreading Chaos? Or a creature completely covered in guard-metal?"

"I know, it's bad news." Ethan messed with his hair, and he was nodding. "I'm going to talk to Tyler right now. He's probably going to organize a search party first thing in the morning."

"Okay. I think I will stay up and guard tonight," Mark suggested solemnly, "In case anything goes on. I'll let you know right away when something happens."

"Thank you, urusaväña." Mark nodded and watched the young man walk away. Usually, Ethan was so bright and optimistic, but this news clearly troubled him. It troubled Mark too, as he turned and looked out into the forest. His sharp eyes bore through the oncoming rain and picked warily at the shadows, wondering just what was out there, lurking with a taste for disorder and catastrophe.

He sighed and shook his wet bangs out of his eyes. Whatever it is, I hope we find it before it does any real damage. Above him, thunder clapped with an ominous boom.

The cold was what coerced Jack to wake. He shivered and frowned as his eyes opened, and then he remembered where he was. He let out an anxious sigh and curled up a little tighter, clutching the survival bag. "Jesus, it's freezing on this planet!" He muttered to himself. His lower lip quivered as the Irishman tried to talk himself back into sleep, but at the same time doubt made him wonder. Is it too cold? Will it snow? ... What if I don't wake up? This newfound fear made him wide awake. He sat up and tugged on his suit, wishing he could take it off. It was uncomfortable, though he preferred it to perishing in the endless vacuum of deep space.

Finally, he gave in and put the helmet back on. Little lights lit up the screen, and holographic images flashed in front of him. "Hello, Seán William McLoughlin," a voice said mechanically.

"Susan, where am I?"

"Coordinates unknown. Starship pod is two-thousand light years off course. Mapping location now. Permitting the Multi-Lingual Linguistics Translator algorithm, now. Stabilizing core temperature." Jack shivered. The suit hissed softly as he was warmed back up to a more comfortable temperature, but his shoulders weren't shaking from that. Already, he was starting to get claustrophobic, and he closed his eyes tightly and shuddered again. His mind flashed a canvas of darkness and faint lights before his eyes. He couldn't breathe. His breath echoed shallowly against the inside of his helmet, but he managed to clear his mind, count to ten, and slowly relax.