Chapter 6 – Dementia

After a few minutes Captain Garcia regained his composure. He leaned against a tree and nodded at Lana to confirm that he was okay. Lana turned back to the clearing. The area was mostly mud, sticks, and leaves evenly spread out on the forest floor. Maybe there was something they had missed.

Lana slowly crept through the clearing in the attempt not to disturb any possible evidence. In the middle of the clearing there was small mound of soft dirt near a tree. It was barely larger than the size of her foot. She stepped on the mound to flatten it out. Even in this rain the dirt was dry, like it was fresh. It was unsettling to say the least. Lana turned back to the captain. He was still on the edge of the clearing. Lana raised her arms and said, "I would feel better if you said this was the wrong spot. Hard to imagine a body could disappear like that."

The captain looked back at his tracks and into the clearing again. He shook his head and said, "No, this is the spot. I remember seeing this tree and running past this opening back to the shuttle. All the trees around here are in place. This was the spot where there was a struggle right here. The Lieutenant was right here with a hole in his chest. The energy weapon ripped a hole in his chest. I saw the wound. He was dead. I didn't imagine any of it. Newman had his pistol. I didn't give him one, he had to have taken it from the Lieutenant. Right?"

Lana walked toward the captain. She didn't have any answers for him. She said, "I don't know what to tell you captain. Everyone has been feeling strange today. Even I have noticed I haven't been feeling like myself."

"Damnit, there were three pistols. I had one, Wright had the second one, and…" The captain stopped. He couldn't remember who he had given the third pistol to. He thought about it for a moment then he said, "Myself, Wright, and… Barlow? I think I gave one to her."

Lana faked a little bit of excitement and said, "You did! I remember that. Steve took her of the pistol from her. All three guns are accounted for. So, I guess that proves it. Right?"

The captain stepped into the clearing for the first time. He checked the area looking for traces of the Lieutenant. Lana joined him searching for something, anything to tell them that this was the same place. The captain pushed on the tree and inspected its branches. Several of the branches were freshly broken. The captain reached up, grabbed a twig, and pulled it down to his eye level. Some of the leaves had black tar like substance on them. The captain pulled a leaf from the tree and released the branch. He examined the half black leaf in this hand. Then he said, "What is this?"

Lana took the leaf and held it by the stem. It was shiny like oil. Even the raindrops did not wash them away. While it seemed harmless enough, she couldn't shake off the feeling that the substance was dangerous. As the captain moved his hand up to touch it, Lana pulled the leaf away and said, "Don't."

The captain heeded to her warning. He turned around and said, "I think we finally found what the researcher were looking for on this planet. Or perhaps they didn't know at all. We have been treating this planet like it was empty. I believe there is a creature on this planet. A creature that doesn't leave tracks like we do, maybe we can't recognize its footprints at all. Maybe it crawls around in the treetops. But it is big enough to break branches and carry off full grown men." Lana and the captain looked around at the forest for a few seconds. It was quiet. Painfully quiet. Then the captain added, "We should go."

The horror of the situation hit Lana all at once. If the captain as right, then the entire party had walked into a trap. The captain turned to return to the research building. Lana didn't stay behind. She followed the captain only steps behind him. Fear had put new motivation in her. Her head was on a swivel as she looked in all directions. Lana asked, "Hey captain, armed with this new information, can I have a gun now?"

"Yes, you can. In fact, both you and Myer can have one." The captain said as he reached for the second pistol on his belt. Then he turned and said, "What a minute, I thought you were afraid of guns?" Before Lana could answer the ground began to shake again. The captain grabbed a nearby tree to brace himself. Lana grabbed the captain's arm. He pulled her into him and said, "Oh, these stupid earthquakes!" The ground heaved up and down in the distance. Lana held onto the captain as he was talking but she could barely hear him. After a few seconds, the quakes disappeared like before. The captain let go of the tree and said, "This planet is so horribly unstable. I am shocked there is any life even here."

The captain continued their hike back to the research station. Lana did the same. It was easy enough to retrace their footsteps. Soon enough, they both made it back to the clearing. Lana could see Jack standing at the window in the research station. She waved to him, but the captain did not stop. He continued to the front of the red ship. Lana followed him only to be horrified by the sight. Steve's body was gone. Just like the Lieutenant. The ground was upturned just like the clearing was in the forest. But the body itself was gone. The sheet that Lana had thrown over him was gone as well.

Out of breath, the captain said, "What the hell, I am not losing it!" The captain pulled his pistol and fired into the ground. Dirt exploded into the air. After getting pelted by dirt partials, Lana stepped back. The captain fired several more times.

Lana shouted, "Captain! Stop!"

Captain Garcia turned back to Lana and shouted, "I am not crazy! You saw this one! He was here! Right?!"

Lana nodded and said, "Yes, put the gun away. No one is accusing you of anything."

Jack had seen them return. He stepped through the airlock and out to see them. He was equally confused by the captain's explosive reaction. Seeing him approach Captain Garcia pointed the gun at Jack and said, "Where is it, Myer!"

Jack put his hand up and said, "Woah, whoa, what the hell is going on?"

"Did you move the body?!"

"No!"

"I am going to ask you again. Did you move the body? This isn't the time for jokes, Myer!"

"What?! Are you crazy?"

Lana waved her hands at Jack and said, "Crazy is not the right word to use right now. Jack, tell him you didn't move the body."

"I didn't. I was inside with Gena this whole time. Why are you both freaking out right now?!"

Lana put her hands down and said, "Captain, he didn't move the body. Put the gun down."

Captain Garcia did not take his aim off of Jack. He carried an angry glare that even Lana could recognize. The captain had lost his cool. He shouted, "There are no trees around here. How could some creature carry off the body without trees? You think I am stupid?"

"Trees? What are you talking about?" Jack kept his hands up, but he had no idea what the captain as talking about.

"I want you to tell me what happened here, Myer."

Lana glanced down to the captain's belt. The second pistol was right there. Within reach. She could defuse this situation. She could worsen the situation. Either way, no one was leaving the planet without Jack. After all, he was their only pilot. Before the captain could say another word, Lana pulled the gun from his belt. Captain Garcia's eyes widened. He knew exactly what had just happened. Lana did not point the gun at him though. She put one hand on his shoulder and said, "Give it to me."

Captain Garcia hesitated. He still had his gun pointed at Jack. Then he said, "He did this. I am not crazy."

"I know you are not. But you are not acting like yourself captain. I need you to hand me your pistol."

Captain Garcia hesitated again, then in a moment of realization he lowered his weapon. Lana repeated herself as she said, "Give it to me." Lana said it with the most confidence she had, but it didn't seem to be enough. Obvious she wasn't going to shoot anyone. She didn't even know how to load the pistol. But she needed him to believe she would.

The captain did not lower his weapon. He shouted again, "I want you to tell me…"

"NOW!!!" Lana shouted and cut him off. She shoved the pistol into the captain's back. She shouted, "Before you go killing each other I need to tell you something. Something that you should have figured out by now. But clearly you are too thick to figure it out." The captain did not move or speak. Even Jack was shocked by this. Every second felt like a minute. Reluctantly, Captain Garcia lowered his weapon. With one hand he turned and handed the pistol to her. Lana took the pistol and put it in her pocket.

Lana had done it. She de-escalated the situation. She took a breath and pointed to the research station. "Let's go inside. Jack you too. We need to talk." The captain listened. He followed Jack as Lana walked behind him. Lana realized her actions planted her in a bad situation. To the captain, she had all the guns. She was now the enemy. How did this happen so fast? Once inside the airlock, the machine cycled letting them inside the building. Gena was still sitting in a chair by the table. She had not moved at all. Jack walked over and checked on her. Gena's face showed traces of dry tears that had rolled down her cheeks. She had none left to cry anymore.

Captain Garcia watched Lana's movements. He was plotting his escape. Lana knew exactly what he was doing. If she was in his position, she would be doing the same. Lana walked over to the wall that the captain had drawn the map of the area. She grabbed the marker and said, "Now that we are all out of the rain, everyone take a seat I will make this quick."

Captain Garcia grabbed a chair and moved it closer to the airlock. Jack sat down next to Gena and waited. Lana wrote each name on the wall. Captain Garcia, Lt. Wright, Paula, Jack, Steve, Gena, and herself. Lana pointed to the names and said, "Each of us have characteristic that make us unique. Personality traits. Traits that we are losing. The longer we are on this planet the worse everyone becomes. Are we all on the same page so far?"

Captain Garcia disagreed, "No, Personality traits… what are you even talking about? We are here because…"

"No, no no, we are not here to brainstorm who is right and who is wrong. Personality traits." Lana pointed at the wall and said, "Jack, you knew him really well, what are… Sorry, what were Steve's greatest traits?"

Jack replied, "He was great at fixing things, and he was, umm." Jack thought about it for a second. He was having a hard time remembering some of the finer details.

Captain Garcia answered for him, "Oh please, Newman could build a rocket out of a tree stump if he had a pocketknife."

Lana wrote on the wall next to Steve's name. Survivor. Fix it man. Lana turned back to the captain and said, "Steve's personality was being deteriorated over time. His logic and problem-solving skills were leaving him. The more it deteriorated the more his survivor instincts were taking over. So much so that he was willing to do anything to get off the planet."

Lana switched to the next name, "Paula. She was madly in love with her boyfriend on Earth. One of the last things she said to me was that she was talking with him. Her logic had faded from her so much that she thought Kevin was here. She thought she was talking to him."

"Last one," Lana pointed to Lt. Wright's name on the wall. "The Lieutenant was a hard ass and a skeptic of everything. Steve said Lt. Wright started accusing him of things while they were in the forest. Can you guys see the pattern now?"

Captain Garcia shook his head, "Bullshit, this is all speculation. You don't have any…"

Lana cut him off, "Evidence! That is right. Evidence is required. How about we do the math. Captain Garcia sent down three people to scout the planet and turn off the distress beacon. Who was down on the surface first? Paula, Lt. Wright, and Steve." Lana circled their names on the wall. Then she turned back to the captain and asked, "Where are they now?" No one responded. Lana waited for moment to let the truth sink in. Then she said, "Their minds were breaking down from the moment they got here. So much that Paula ran off into the woods looking for love, Lt. Wright turned into a skeptic, and Steve took the crew hostage. Steve wasn't trying to hurt anyone. He was the first to realize what was happening. He just couldn't explain it."

Gena blinked a few times. She was coming around. She said, "He was trying to save us."

Jack shook his head and said, "How is this possible? And more importantly why aren't we affected?"

"We are." Lana pointed to Captain Garcia's name on the board. Then she continued, "The calm and cool-headed captain is starting to lose cool." Lana pointed to Jack and said, "The flyboy pilot is forgetting how to fly. Remember when you said you were having a hard time performing your system checks? You are forgetting something you have always known." Lana stopped and stared at to the pistol she held in her hand. Then she said, "I have been afraid of public speaking my entire life. Here I am." Lana tossed a gun to Jack and pulled the second pistol out of her pocket and tossed it to Captain Garcia. Then she said, "I am affected. You're affected. We all are."

Captain Garcia checked the charges on the pistol then eyed at Lana. For a moment he thought she was the enemy, but now that she had handed over the weapons, he could see she was just another crewmember trying to get home. The captain put the pistol back in his holster. He took a breath and said, "Okay, so let's say that you are right. We are all being affected by the rain, the sun, or gas. Even though we have been wearing masks the whole time. What do we do now?"

Lana tossed the marker in the air and said, "What do we do now?! Are you kidding me? We freakin leave! That is the only logical answer! If Jack is slowly losing his ability to fly, then we leave before it's too late."

Captain Garcia replied, "Paula is still unaccounted for."

Lana pointed to the sun that was quickly setting on the horizon. Then she said, "It has been two days. Do you really believe she is still alive?"

"You are forgetting this planet is on a fast rotation. Each day and night are only 4 hours. Paula has only been missing for little more than 8 hours. People can survive for months as long as they have water to drink. This planet has no shortage of that."

Lana pleaded with the captain, "You witnessed the bodies disappear. The Lieutenant and Steve disappeared! You said so yourself that there is something out there. Their bodies were taken minutes after they were killed. You really believe she is still alive after all this time?" Lana stopped talking and looked around the room. Jack and even Gena appeared to have mixed feeling about the topic. They didn't like the idea of leaving someone behind, but they also wanted to get off the planet.

Captain Garcia adjusted his prosthetic leg and stood up. Then he said, "I am still the captain here."

Lana nodded, "Yes you are, but your abilities are compromised. As are we all. I say we at least multitask on this one. One of our shuttles is shot up. The engine is damaged. We still have one shuttle left. Right?"

Gena agreed, "Yeah, Shuttle 204 that is powering this building."

"Awesome, can we use Shuttle 204 to leave the planet?"

Gena replied, "Umm, yes. All we have to do is disconnect the generator from the system and it should be ready to fly." The captain turned to Gena. She was the engineer after all. It seemed that she was back to normal. Her fractured mind somehow healed itself.

Lana agreed, "Excellent, so Gena will disconnect the generator from the research station and get the ship ready to go while the rest of us make on last effort to find Paula. We can look for Paula until she has the ship ready to go. Can we all agree on this?"

The captain surveyed the room and the faces of his remaining crew. Then he said, "Fine, but we work in groups of two. Two people go looking for Paula, while someone stays with Gena to keep an eye on her."

Everyone left the dry safety of the research station. They watched as Gena opened the maintenance panel on the back of the shuttle. Captain Garcia climbed inside the outer airlock door and sat down. He held his swollen knee for a second then he shouted, "Don't just stand there. You two have work to do."

Jack and Lana walked away from the shuttle. It was beginning to get dark out. Nighttime would be upon them in a few minutes. Jack said, "So much for flashlights." Jack pointed to one of the nearby power cells on the ground. He said, "Remember these? We brought these down here for some reason."

Lana followed him and replied, "Yes, we needed them to power the ships. We were going to salvage them, remember?"

Jack did not agree or disagree. He picked it up and hoisted it over his shoulder. Then he said, "I have a plan. We are going to need two more of these." Lana watched as Jack walked away carrying the heavy cell. She questioned his plan but did not hesitate to pick up a power cell and follow him. Together, Jack and Lana carried the two power cells over to the Maxwell SC24 ship. Jack installed them both into the side panel. Then he said, "This is a fancy ship. Unlike most models, this one requires three power cells to stay operational. We need one more."

Jack and Lana walked over to the red ship and removed a power cell. Jack got it installed into the Maxwell and flipped the breakers. The panel lite up as Jack smiled and said, "Oh baby! Are you ready to live in luxury?" Jack got up and led Lana over to the entrance of the Maxwell airlock. Now that all the lights were on Lana could see the details on the interior. Looking through the airlock window Lana could see the beautiful hallway lights. Once the door was open Lana was even more impressed. The color of the walls. The fancy lighting. It was like walking through museum built to fly.

Lana nodded and said, "Very nice. I feel poor just looking at this."

Jack walked over to the life support control panel made sure the ship was pressurized. He took his mask off and took a deep breath. "Oh, I have been wearing this thing too long. You can take yours off, the system is cleaned with 4 levels of electronic filters. It's some of the cleanest air you will ever breath." Lana thought about it for a second then she removed her mask. It was a relief to finally take it off after a long period of time.

"You will like this too." Jack grabbed her hand and pulled Lana toward the bridge. Then he said, "Yeah, if we had salvaged these ships, I would have asked for this one. Come on, I need to show you something."

Lana pulled her hand away from him and said, "This isn't exactly what we are supposed to be doing."

"Yes… actually it is." Jack opened the door to the bridge and marveled at its beauty. Lana couldn't help but be impressed by its size. The bridge was twice the size of the POLO. Jack walked over to the pilot seat and fumbled with the controls. Then he said, "This is how we will find Paula in the dark." With the flip of a switch the flood lights kicked on. Lana stepped over to the window to see the lights. The outside area for 4 or 5 meters was lit up like daytime. Lana thought to herself, we should have done this last night.

Jack sat down at the comms station and put on the headset. He flipped a switch that said, "Outside PA system". Then he said, "Testing, testing. Hello. This thing on?" Lana could hear the speaker system outside the ship. The speakers were very loud. Then Jack said over the PA, "Paula if you are still out there lost in the woods, come toward the sound of my voice. Please Paula. If we can't find you then this is your only chance to get out of here. Hurry." Jack took off the headset. He peered at Lana out of the corner of his eye, but only for a second. He didn't want her to see the pain on his face. Jack had already accepted that Paula was gone.

Lana could see Jack was in pain. More than just the wound on his head from Steve hitting him. Paula was his superior but also his friend. Lana walked over and gave him a hug from behind and said, "That was really good."

"Thanks, but I doubt she can hear it. I am sure we are all thinking it. She isn't coming back."

Lana didn't know what to say to that. Instead, she said, "I… Maybe we can play some loud music on the speakers. Like a method to call her home. Even if she can't hear it, maybe it will calm everyone down."

Jack composed himself and started looking around the control panel. He said, "I wish I could. I don't know how. I am not familiar with this system."

A loud audible beep was heard then someone said, "Perhaps I can help."

Jack and Lana both jumped by the sound of a third voice in the room. They turned around but no one was there. Lana asked, "Hello?"

The voice responded, "Hello, I am [UN-NAMED] … welcome on board the Maxwell SC24 Lander Cruiser. Is there anything I can assist you with today?"

Jack's face lit up, "Oh, these models have built in A.I." Jack turned around and smiled, then he said, "Computer, what is your identification and purpose?"

The computer replied, "I am the ship Artificial Intelligence. My job is to assist passengers with the functionality of the ship. As far as my identification is concerned, I have never been given an official name. Before we lost power, everyone just called me Computer. Would you like to register one?"

Lana thought about it for a second then she said, "Sure, how about if we call you Max?"

"Identification entered. Hello, I am Max. Computer A.I. interface. Welcome on board the Maxwell SC24 Lander Cruiser. Who if I may ask, do I have the pleasure of speaking with today?"

"I'm Lana and this is Jack."

"I am pleasantly surprised to meet your acquaintance today, Ms. Lana. How can I assist you today?"

Jack pointed at the comms station and said, "Can you play some music over the outside speaker system? Something soothing that can be heard over long distances."

The computer paused for a moment then Max said, "No problem. When it comes to sound and travel distance, nothing travels farther than bass music. Would you like to look over our selection? I have over 250,000 songs on file to listen to."

Jack disagreed, "No, I don't need to see a selection. Just play each one back-to-back as loud as you can over the PA system."

There was another pause then the music started. As promised, the music had a lot of bass. Jack did a little dance to the music then he stood up and said, "Thank you, Max. You made my job a lot easier."

"You're welcome, happy to help." Max said with the cheeriest disposition.

Lana wasn't done with the A.I. system just yet. She asked, "Max, where are the original owners of this ship?"

"Unknown. My functionality is for automated solutions to system problems or errors and best in class assistance with everyday ship maintenance. Sadly, that does not include passenger tracking or health and welfare."

Lana rephrased herself, "Okay, you do have camera footage or something right?"

"Negative, our new MTS system record your movement from 6 different angle, creating a 3D model for the best image recordable."

"Nice, when was the last time the previous owners were here? Can you bring up that footage?"

A moment later, a table popped up out of the floor in the middle of the room. Green and blue lights activated to show a 3D holographical display. Lana and Jack approached the table as it turned on. Max stated, "Johnathan Indra and his wife Sophia Indra where the last occupants of the ship prior to losing power. In the time that the ship was without power, I cannot state for certain that no one step on the ship."

The display showed a highly detailed interior of the ship's hallway with a man walking out of the safe room. He appeared to be in a daze. He pulled away the railing that was handcuffed to his wrist. He dropped it in the hallway and stumbled to the exit. After that, the hologram repeated itself played on a loop.

Lana asked, "Is there audio to this?" Without a word from Max, the audio started playing.

The man shouted, "I won't let you. No! Sweetie, I am right behind you. Don't leave me!" The audio trailed off as the man left the ship.

Jack scratched his chin and said, "He died as he lived… chasing women."

Lana ignored him and said, "That's why the doors were unlocked. He left without taking anything. No gun. No weapon of any kind. He didn't even lock the ship." Lana asked Max, "Do you have footage of his wife leaving?" On the 3D holographical display, a second picture appeared right next to the previous one. The second display showed a woman stumbling out of the bridge. She appeared to be drunk. She walked down the hallway and to the exit. The audio played as the woman said, "I can't let you go. Johnathan! Wait for me. Johnathan! Wait for me!" The audio stop as she made it to the exit.

"The husband left looking for his wife. The wife left looking for her husband." Lana said as she watched the two videos play side by side. Then she said, "Max, who left first? Like who was following who when they left?"

Max responded, "Sophia Indra. She left the ship 16 hours before Johnathan Indra did."

Lana watched the two videos for a second then she shot Jack a scared face and said, "They left the ship while talking to themselves. Just like Paula was."

Jack thought for a second. Then he said, "Oh wait, this ship is a SC24? Does this model have AMS?"

Max responded, "Yes, the AMS Detector can pick up motion, thermal, and sound for up to 100 kilometers in all directions."

"Do it. Scan the area."

The holographical display disappeared and showed an image of the research station and the surrounding ships. Then it quickly zoomed out to a large circle. The ship showed little waves coming out from the center and back to the ship. Max said, "Scanning. Please be aware that PA system will be disabled to perform the scan. Please wait."

20 seconds later Max said, "Scan complete. Due to the high level of foliage around the area, motion detection picked up multiple targets. However, zero animals and only two humans outside the ship. Thermal scans show zero animals, two humans, and one engine producing heat nearby."

Lana looked at the ship display on the hologram. It zoomed in showing Gena and the captain near the shuttle next to research station. They were the only reading for the surrounding 100 kilometers. Lana turned to Jack and said, "The search is over."

Lana and Jack quickly returned to the shuttle. The sun had completely set. The night was as dark as their moods. The rain was now coming down even harder than it was before. They walked around the shuttle to find Gena was working on removing the connector from the generator. Gena was turning a wrench on the generator. Not a little wrench either. This thing was at least a meter long. She probably needed extra leverage. Lana shot her a smile and asked, "How are things going here?"

"Screwed, like we all are." Gena said with a mountain of rage. Before Lana could ask why, Gena's wrench slipped off the bolt. The wrench crashed to the ground with Gena screaming in frustration, "Damnit!"

Lana got out of the way as Jack stepped in front of her and said, "What's wrong?"

Gena stepped away from the generator and picked up the wet wrench off the ground. Then she said, "I don't have the right tools for this. I need the Inverter Culper, but I can't find it. It's not in the research station and it's not here in the back of the shuttle. I can't see a damn thing without a flashlight, but that's fine I can see in the dark right? Steve used the 44 millimeters deep well socket to get the nuts on when he installed it." Gena backed away from the generator and reached up to wipe the water off her mask. Gena said, "I don't know what Steve did with the socket. It's not here. It's not in the toolbox. It's probably on the ground or inside somewhere. So now, I am trying to use this piece of shit wrench to do the same job. It's not working too well."

Lana could see Gena was at her wits end. She comforted her, "It's okay, we can fix it together. Jack can get the lights working. Right Jack?"

Jack did not respond. He was looking around the shuttle for the captain. Jack shouted, "Captain!" Lana suddenly realized the captain was not inside the shuttle. She walked around the side looking or him. He was gone. Jack returned to back of the shuttle and asked, "Gena, what happened to the captain? Did he say anything to you?"

Gena nodded and said, "Yeah, I think he said he needed to take a leak or something."

Lana surveyed the area. In the darkness she couldn't see very well. Jack climbed up higher and shouted, "Captain!"

Lana closed her eyes to let them adjust to the dark. She opened them and peered into the darkness. For a second, she could see the outline of a person near the trees. Lana ran from the shuttle into the darkness. She ran halfway between the person and the shuttle and shouted, "Hey! I see you!"

The person did not stir. Lana slowed down to a walk ash she approached. It was the captain. He was looking into the forest. Lana walked up beside him and looked at his face. Captain Garcia returned her gaze with the most confused face. He said, "What can I help you with?"

"Are you okay, captain?"

Captain Garcia returned his longing stare into the forest then said, "I'm fine."

Lana waited for him to say something else. But nothing ever came. He was acting very strange. Lana asked, "Captain, have you been hearing voices?"

Captain Garcia laughed and said, "Oh, you think I am going crazy now? Relax, you are not getting rid of me that easily." The captain reached out his arm around Lana and turned her to walk back toward the shuttle. As they walked, he said, "I sure hope you brought me good news, right?"

Lana and the captain returned to the shuttle and exchanged information. Gena explained how she didn't have the right tools for the job. She was only making things worse by trying to use the wrong wrench. Jack and Lana explained about the scanner and how there was no one nearby for 100 kilometers. Gena and the captain did not seem shocked that the ship did not detect Paula's life signature. In their hearts they already knew it to be true. When everyone was done talking, the captain nodded and said, "A Maxwell? That's a good ship. Is it in good shape?"

Jack shook his head and said, "I know what you are thinking, captain. We can't fly the Maxwell out of here. Solid fuel is empty. CX5 is almost completely gone. The ship has been sitting in an idol state for so long that there is nothing left to get it off the ground."

Captain Garcia waved his free hand at Jack and restated, "No, no, it's a Maxwell. It's in good shape on the inside, right?" Jack was confused but he nodded. Then the captain said, "We aren't going to get anything done out here in the dark. I'm tired. Everyone is exhausted. For now, let's get out of the rain. Take a break. We will gather ourselves for the final push to get off this rock."

The captain put his arms around Lana and Gena and lead both of them away from the shuttle. Jack gave the three of them a funny look. He had never seen the captain commit to physical contact like this. Jack closed the generator door and covered up the tools. Then he followed the others over to the Maxwell's airlock.

Once inside, Captain Garcia took off his mask without checking the life support panel. He took a deep breath and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, make yourselves at home."

Lana shot a look at Jack to gauge his reaction. Jack didn't say anything, but he also did not look happy. Captain Garcia entered the kitchen and started rummaging through the stock. He wasn't looking for food. He grabbed a few bottles of wine and started continued to search the cabinets for some cups.

Gena reached up to the lights. Her hands were stained red from the grease on the generator coils. She turned to Lana and said, "Where is the bathroom. I gotta get this off or it's going to eat away a layer of my skin." Lana pointed the way and lead Gena to the bathroom. On the way there Lana spotted a large room with a bed. Once Gena was in the bathroom, Lana returned to the bedroom. She opened the closet to find a very large and extensive collection of clothing. After a few minutes of searching, she found some cloth that could fit her.

Lana did a double check to the hallway look for prying eyes. She could hear the captain shouting from the kitchen. Lana pressed the button to close the closet door. She would change in here for now. Lana removed her wet cloths and threw them on the floor. She slowly flipped through the collection of nice clothing and picked out a nice button-down green shirt. As she did this Lana heard something.

"It must be nice to be rich."

Hearing someone talk, Lana gasped and quickly turned around, but she was alone. She searched all over the massive closet. Lana said, "Hello?" Lana opened the closet door and peaked outside to see if someone was there. There was no one. Lana pushed the cloths up and down on the rod expecting to find someone hiding behind them. But once again there was no one. With an uneasy feeling Lana put on the green shirt and picked out a black pair of pants to match. The pants were a bit baggy. She needed a belt to hold them up. Luckily, there was a massive collection of belts in every color and style. Lana listened very carefully for someone to speak again, but no one did.

Once Lana was happy with her new outfit, she returned to the main hallway. Jack was standing in the doorway to the kitchen watching the others. He was leaning against doorframe as Captain Garcia and Gena were eating the stores of dehydrated food. The captain was drinking some kind of wine, all while laughing and joking up a storm. Lana entered to room and assessed the situation. It would seem their roles were now reversed. The captain was now carefree while Jack watched over him with judging eyes. It was ironic to say the least.

Gena saw Lana's new outfit and exclaimed, "Oh, darling you look amazing! Where did you get those fancy new rags?"

Lana pointed to the bedroom and said, "Closet, in the master bedroom. Help yourself."

Gena walked past them both without a second thought. Lana stood in the doorway opposite of Jack. She shot him a glance, but he didn't return it. He just watched the captain. Without words, Jack was trying to show the captain how much he disapproved of his actions. Lana agreed. She approached the fancy table and said with a smile, "Hey, you should take it down a notch. It's not really a good time to be drinking, captain."

The captain put down his drink and said, "Time? What do you know about time? You have been alive for the last 20 something years. I signed up to be a drifter back in 2144. Back when they said hibernation sleep was deadly. They said the technology was too new, too dangerous for travel. People talk about it like being a drifter was dead sentence. People said that you would go to sleep and wake up an old man. Since then, I have been on over 100 flights to and from locations. I have seen every space station and outpost ever built. I have a massive recorded 125 years of space travel history. All the people who said drifter were wasting their lives away are all long gone now. I have outlived their entire families."

Lana walked over and sat down at the table. She said, "That's a lot of year. Very impressive. Sounds like we should start calling you Father time."

The captain took another drink then coughed a bit. He cleared his throat and said, "Father time? Oh please. Time isn't this wise and all-knowing figure. Time is a beast, a wolf that hides in the trees. Just out of sight. It follows us everywhere we go. Always hiding in the shadows. Waiting for us to make a mistake. If you screw up, you have to be quick on your feet. Because the beast… the beast is watching. It stalks you in your best and worst moments. You have to pick yourself up and keep moving forward. Some people fall down, and they don't get up fast enough. The beast gets his meal. Eventually, you get old and slow. Getting up from a nasty fall is harder to do… Everything is harder to do." The captain trailed off. He was exhausted.

Jack chimed in, "That is a horrible way to look at life."

The captain laughed and said, "Maybe someday you will live long enough to see it my way. When you are young death is a scary thing. The end of your entire existence. But when you get old and tired like me… death sounds like a long rest that you never have to wake up from." The captain stopped talking a touched his forehead. He made a slight groaning noise under his breath.

Lana could tell from his speech that he was tired. The captain had not slept the first night that they landed. Sitting here drinking wasn't going to help the situation. Lana got up for her seat and walked over to the captain. She placed a hand on his shoulder and said, "You're tired. We will watch over everyone while you get some rest."

"No, I can't. I am the captain. I can sleep later when everyone is safe."

"Everyone is safe right now. Everyone is on the ship. How about you go lay down?"

"No, I don't need sleep."

Jack walked over and put his hand on the wine bottle the captain was drinking. Then he said, "Captain, you had better listen to her. How about you put a lock on the door so no one can leave the ship until you wake up? So, everyone can sleep soundly knowing we are safe on the Maxwell."

The captain thought about it for a second then he said, "Good thinking. Myer, I knew I kept you around for something." The captain got up and adjusted his prosthetic leg. He walked to the hallway and turned back to them, "Don't follow me. I am not setting the code while anyone is around."

Lana and Jack stood in the kitchen together as the captain made his way down the hallway toward the airlock. Jack picked up some dehydrated food and bite off a chunk. Then once the captain was far out of ear shot, Jack said, "He is losing it."