Space Isn't Just Darkness

Chapter Twenty-Four

I crawled on my forearms through the narrow duct to the warp core, willing no more tears to fall as I made my way to the core. I was going to save the Enterprise and everyone one on it. There was no reason to be sad, yet.

I set my mind to the task at hand.

The entry was narrow and I squeezed through only to enter a massive room full of grey cords and metal fixtures. At the center of the room were two large metal appendages that sparked blue energy.

One of the appendages, the bottom one, was dislodged, and even if I was no engineer, I figured it had to be put right again.

As I neared the metal appenages, I could feel my skin grow warm, as if I were in direct sunlight. Similar to how my skin felt on the beaches of Florida when I was twelve. The warmth became more extreme as I neared the warp appendages. My heart was racing and skipped a beat every few seconds. My mouth had grown dry. I was sweating profusely as I reached up to grab hold of the metal lip around the appendage which gave me leverage.

I used the edge of the bottom appendage to push off and a few blue sparks followed as I reared back and slammed my feet into the lower metal apemdage. It shifted, just slightly, closer to relalinmnet

I reared back again and repeated the action several times. My arms were bruning and I struggled to breath. I could feel my lungs already corroding from the toxic radiation.

I breathed deeply, attempting to soothe my burning throat. I reared back one last time, shoving with spontaneous force, and finally, the lower appendage straightened and reconnected with the top one. A flash of blue sparked between them as the warp core realigned and came back to power. A electrical shock wave shot out from the core, signaling a reconnection of power.

I'd done it!

The force from the shockwave sent me flying to the floor. I fell on my back as the heat now became insufferable. I forced myself to back up and tried to put as much distance between me and the powerful, hot core as possible. I turned and searched for the narrow duct I had come through and slowly crawled my way towards it.

Every movement sparked pain but I willed myself to keep going. My breathes were labored, to the point where I was wheezing. I paused halfway down the tunnel, resting my forehead against my arm. My skin burned upon contact but I could hardly lift my head up anymore.

My muscles relaxed against my will as my body insisted that I stop. That I let everything go and die in this hallway. A part of me wanted to. It would have been so easy to give up now.

Fuck that.

Against my body's will, I forced myself to proceed forward in any way I could. Inch by inch I edged my way further down the duct. Everything burned and ached and screamed at me to stop but I didn't.

I finally made it down to the end of the hallway and to the thick screen door that I had entered through. I came to rest beside the screen and leaned my head against it. The cool glass was comforting against my impossibly hot skin.

My heart was no longer just racing, it was now palpitating painfully inside my chest. It threatened to burst at any given second. My eyes burned, making it hard to keep them open. I could feel my breaths shallow, making my lungs hurt a little less.

I was dying.

I should have been worried but I wasn't. I wasn't even scared.

Considering that the ship was still flying and that it wasn't blown to bits, I had succeeded.

I'd saved them.

Jim. Spock. Bones. Carol. Scotty.

All of them were alive.

That was good enough for me.

My eyes were beginning to droop and close when I spotted motion on the other side of the screen. A figure in a blue shirt appeared and kneeled down beside me. My vision was blurry but I knew those ears and eyebrows anywhere.

I couldn't see him clearly through the tears and radiation, but I could feel his presence.

"Spock?" I asked weakly, a small grin appeared on my dry and chapped lips.

"I'm here," He said quietly, emotion flooding his voice.

"Is-Is everyone ok?" I stuttered, willing my eyes to stay stay open.

"Yes," He answered, swallowing slowly. I wish I could've felt him hold me just one last time.

I nodded almost imperceptibly.

"That's good," I said distantly, a wan grin appearing.

A second figure, this one in yellow, came into view. Jim stumbled toward the screen, the sedative still in his system, until he sat beside Spock. His face was shiny and it hurt that I couldn't see his blue eyes clearly.

My own eyes felt so heavy. So, so heavy.

"Fe-Ferris!" Jim managed, his voice full of pain.

I tried to smile but the skin on my face prickled painfully. Like a hundred of hot needles were brushing against me.

"Open it!" Jim ordered loudly.

I shook my head slowly.

"The contamination process is not yet complete. The doors are locked sir," Scotty's voice answered. "They can't open."

"It's ok Jim," I whispered quietly, my lip trembling. I wondered if they could hear me.

"Ferris you can't- you can't leave," Jim pleaded and fresh tears sprung from my eyes. I couldn't feel them slide down my cheeks but they were there.

"I'm not scared," I said weakly, trying to swallow even though my throat was completely dry and felt like sandpaper. "I'm not scared, Jim."

My breath hitched painfully in my throat as my lungs threatened to collapse.

"Ferris!" Jim's voice yelled as my vision continued to decline. His voice jarred my senses, forcing me to stay awake for at least a little longer.

With the last morsel if energy I had left, I slowly lifted my arm. I shakily placed a hand against the cool glass. Even the one small movement made my bones feel like glass.

"I'm gonna go see dad Jim," I managed, my voice incredibly hoarse. I looked to Spock even though I couldn't see much more than a blue blur. "Take c-care of him."

"I-I will," Spock's reassuring voice replied slowly. I felt a pang in my chest at the sound.

I'd miss his voice.

"Ferris please..." Jim insisted as I felt my mind begin to drift away.

My hand began to slide down the glass as my body shut down.

"I love you."

My eyes closed slowly, leaving me in a warm darkness. I could only hear faint voices coming from the other side and even those soon dissipated to a low hum. My body seemed to fall away, the pain lifting until only the soul remained.

I felt like I was floating.

Then there was a light.

The End

(Lol jk keep reading)