FanFiction - Diving into a new World
zallon
germany Join Date: 2016-04-05 Member: 215351Members
germany Join Date: 2016-04-05 Member: 215351Members
Chapter One- An unknown world
"EMERGENCY - FIRE DETECTED - EXIT LIFEPOD IMMEDIATELY"He woke up to the metallic voice and a burning sensation on the left side of his face. As he attempted to move away from the heat he realized something was restricting him. "What did the voice say? And what is going on?" The confused thoughts buzzed in his mind. "I can’t breathe. Why can’t I move?" Forcing himself to open his eyes, he was unable to see anything through the layer of thick black smoke.
"EMERGENCY - FIRE DETECTED - EXIT LIFEPOD IMMEDIATELY"
All at once the situation became clear and the words rang in his ears. A fire! He needed to get out of here as soon as possible. When he tried to stand up, all the air in his lungs was pushed out. He was being held back by the metal strap. Following his instincts, his right hand swiftly typed 6-1-7-2-5-3 into the touch panel on arm rest. The response of the chair was slowed due to damage sustained during impact but a frustrated slamming of his fist freed him. Weak from the loss of air and dizzy from the smoke he fell to his knees. His hand brushed something, something ... red, something red, a fire extinguisher! Turning to his side he grabbed the handle and pressed the button spraying the white foam everywhere. But it helped, the smoke got thinner and he saw the fire, it was the control panel! Aiming through the ladder he fired the extinguisher and eliminated the last bit of fire.
Fresh air was pumped into the small room as the light got brighter and another electronic voice message echoed through the pod. But the voice was small and far away, he wanted to know what happened, he couldn't remember anything, not even his own name! Sacred but hoping for answers he crawled towards the control panel leaning against the wall for support. Unfortunately, the control panel wasn't functioning, half of it was laying on the ground and the remaining pieces were spitting sparks at him.
The ladder seemed to be his one chance at finding answers. Slowly taking one step up after another, he opened the hatch. Unfiltered, fresh but salty air filled his lungs. It felt good so he paused for a moment; inhaling this fresh feeling. Freeing his body of the smoke, before sticking his head through the opening. This moment of relief only lasted until he opened his eyes. What he saw when he opened them was a shock he would never forget. Water. Endless water, nothing but blue, except for a giant red moon positioned on the horizon. Where was he? It was only then he saw the wreck, the Aurora! He was a member of the Crew, but what happened? Why was he in the life pod? He could remember the day he first saw the Aurora, a top of line mining vessel, the biggest and most advanced his planet had ever seen… his planet. Why could he remember the name of the Aurora but not the name of his home, or his own name. He needed to get answers.
His head started spinning and he fell to his knees again, vomiting over the edge of the life pod. starring out as the endless Ocean and the rubble that once was the Aurora ... loosing conscious he fell into the water only to be pulled back to his senses by the cold water.
The icy water enveloped his body and pierced his skin but he was overwhelmed with the desire to see more. So against his better judgment he opened his eyes to the salty water and was greeted by the sight of things he had never imagined possible. An ocean filled with life, no matter which direction he looked, he was surrounded by it. Hundreds of thousands of little fish he had never seen before, swimming around, alone, in pairs or in schools. Plants and seaweed more colorful than any found where he lived. He wanted to look forever, watching every fish how they seemed to fly through the water. It was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen, but his lungs and eyes burned. So he rushed to the surface where he held on to the life pods flotation device. Suddenly feeling tired he decided to enter the life pod, the only place he knew was safe. Moments after sitting down he leaned against the wall and sleep overtook him.
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He awoke with a growling stomach and burning eyes and greatly regretted yesterday’s encounter with the salt water. Rubbing his eyes, he began to contemplate his current situation. Hungrily he started searching the Life pod and taking stock of his supplies. Perhaps things were better than he thought. Under the seat he had slept on was a small storage container with enough food and water for a few days, maybe a week if he rationed it, a simple diving suit with a helmet, a knife and a PDA. After changing into the diving suit he took another look at the control panel. Unfortunately, without the right tools it was beyond repair. Luckily the Fabricator was still functioning and the life pod was still supplying energy. Hope began to fill his body, it began as a buzzing in his brain and it warmed him from the inside out. He let out a small hysterical laugh. His hopes for survival were, however, shortly lived as he noticed an almost microscopic crack. The memory chip had been destroyed in the crash. Not a single Blueprint was saved, he couldn’t fabricate anything.
His hope turned sour in his mouth and he slammed a fist against the wall of the life pod. Breathing heavily, he made a conscious effort to calm himself. And it was then that he made a decision. He decided that he would not die; not here on this Planet. With a mouth full of nutrient bar, he sat down to a makeshift breakfast. Half of the bar he saved for later but his thirst he could not contain. He drank near a full bottle before stopping. He knew that now he would have to explore the waters below him. The prospect both excited and terrified him. Nervously he opened the hatch on the floor and sat down on the edge, dangling his legs in the water. It was surprisingly warmer than he remembered, or perhaps it was the diving suit protecting him. He didn’t care either way, he wanted to see the beauty of this unknown water world again. So without any further delay he placed his dive helmet atop his head. He was slightly startled to see in the bottom left corner of his vision, an interface on the glass. It displayed a number; 45. It was a timer showing approximately how many second of air he had left. He remembered that this was part of his training, that each diving suit was equipped with five deep breath of air and upon resurfacing the suit would automatically refill. He took off the helmet, to examine it closer, if he remembered correctly, there should be a few slots for different computer chips to upgrade the interface. After he found the slots, his mood improved for a moment, because he had started to remember things, but then again, he couldn’t fabricate any of the chips, so he pushed the thought from his mind.
Once again he put the helmet on, and before he could think of anything else, he dove into the water. This unknown world fascinated him with its beauty, but he was wary of the world below so he stayed directly under the Life pod; looking around and getting used to this new environment, keeping a close eye on the timer to get a feeling for how long he had air. After three test sessions, he felt comfortable enough to swim a little further away.
It was a new world, unknown and dangerous, and yet he felt peaceful gliding through the water. Water untouched by men and filled with colors. Every plant, from purple mushroom looking ones, to big red corals, or glowing grass was painted a different hue. Everything seemed in a complete harmony. As he attempted to get closer to the big corals on the ocean floor, a very large eye appeared right in front of him. It was starring at him. But as soon as it had appeared it was gone again. He looked for this strange creature, with its purple fins and yellow eye. An eye which was frankly almost its complete body, an eye as big as his face with fins. He smiled before ascending to the surface. However, once there the reality of his situation hit him again. He watched the endless ocean and it made him realize that he still had no idea what to do. But holding on to his resolve he dove once again, this time looking for anything he could use. And his eyes fell upon something that didn’t belong there, a piece of metal salvage. It must have been blown off during the crash. He refilled the air in his suit then swam down until he reached the metal. It was at least as big as him. He wasn’t able to lift it up but he spent the rest of the morning pulling it right under the Life pod, to find it again. Later he might be able to use the metal to build something useful. After a break and small lunch, he continued his search. Finding more and more incredible wildlife. One that was nothing more than a spine and two bladders of air attached at either side.
Trying to catch everything that got close to him, he lost track of time. He noticed that some of the fish starting to glow. It was getting dark. Feeling irritated at the fish for distracting him, he swam back to the Life pod. Just as he was about to climb into the pod, he saw a flash of light on the ocean floor, not too far from him. There was still time before it would be completely dark. It frightened him to go now, but he knew he might not find it again tomorrow. His curiosity finally got the best of him and he began the decent towards the light.
A thick forest of vines ascended from the ground to the surface on his right side. With glowing seeds lighting his path he drew nearer to the curiosity. At last he could see through the murky waters. Before him stood the broken remains of a second Life pod, half buried below stones and sand. His eyes opened wide in amazement, he couldn’t believe what he just found. He could feel hope coursing through his body once more as he thought about the fabricator, the memory chip might still be intact. A way to survive. His elation at his discovery left him unaware of the disturbance near the edge of the vines.
He felt the searing pain in his back first and then his chest and shoulder as he was smashed against the Life pod. His sight was blurred but he saw enormous teeth right above him as the creature vanished into the vines. And yet the pain wasn’t his only problem. It took him a moment to realize, but the timer was going into the red area. With the fear of death making his heart pound in his chest; he gathered all of his strength and pushed himself from the ground, holding his breath. It had gotten darker than he expected while he was diving, and not being able to see the surface scared him more, even more than the creature hiding in the vines. This was not the paradise he thought.
The adrenalin running through his body made his thoughts crystal clear. He saw everything around him and just as he thought that his end was near, his head broke through the surface. His heart was still pounding and blood was pumping in his ears. His lungs burned taking in as much oxygen as he could. He scanned the horizon for his life pod and just barely made out the shining hull in the moon light. He was further away than he thought. He just wanted to get away from the vines. Using long swift strokes of his arms and legs to reach the pod, he only just now felt the real pain in his back and shoulders. Exhausted both physically and mentally he crawled through the hatch, onto his seat. He needed to rest, but before he tried to sleep, he made a small scratch on the wall. One day. He had survived, barely.
If i can make one comment, id strongly suggest that you separate the paragraphs more as big wall of text can scare some people off from reading it and realize they might like it
I hope to have the next chapter finished Saturday or Sunday.
And I will look out to separate the paragraphs better