Chapter 2

    "Son, wake up." Two hands shook his shoulders. Daniel swatted the person away and tried to fall back asleep.
    "Wake up, Daniel." A firm voice brought him back from the edge of sleep.
    "What, Dad? What is it?" Daniel asked irritably.
    "I need to talk to you about something," He whispered, sitting down on the edge of Daniel's twin bed.
    "Can't this wait until morning?"
    "No, son. But I need to wake up and focus."
    "Later, Dad. Just tell me later." Daniel pushed him away. His father was suddenly standing alone, at the bridge of the ship that Daniel once dreamed about. He turned around and faced Daniel, blood spreading across his abdomen through his untucked shirt. He fell to his knees, holding his wound. Daniel tried to reach him, but there was nothing he could do. A scream caught in the bottom of his throat.
    "Daniel, wake up..."    

    Daniel lifted open his eyes, bright lights beamed down on him and his headache returned. He felt the rush of pain in his back and his hip. He gasped when it felt like someone stuck a hot poker to him when he moved. Please let this be a nightmare, he thought to himself. He wasn't very religious, but when he closed his eyes and reopened them again, he prayed this wasn't real. He wished he couldn't feel the ship's engines deep hum underneath him or the quiet murmuring in the hangar around him.
    He groaned and blindly reached around him, the pain in his body was excruciating. A man in a button-down shirt and loosened tie appeared above him.
    "Someone's awake over here!" The man called out, but the murmuring really didn't stop around Daniel's ears. He bent his legs and tried to roll over on his side.
    "No, no. Not so fast." The man in the tie pushed him back down gently. He was right; his vision was blurrier when he tried to sit up.
    Daniel breathed hard, he felt like his lungs were doing bench presses just to bring in air. "Is...everyone..okay?"
    The man bent over Daniel and shined a small light in each eye, "A few didn't make it..." The man's voice changed, like he didn't want to talk about it. Oh, Daniel thought, the glass.
    "Daniel!" A pair of arms suddenly appeared and wrapped themselves around his head. "Oh, I'm so glad you're okay. My sweet boy," Daniel knew instantly it was his mother, a steady stream of tears landed on his face when she hugged him. Will was there too, he nodded curtly at Daniel and sat beside him. From the look on his face, he looked preoccupied with something else on his mind.
    "I think you can sit up now, your pupils are not as dilated anymore." The man helped Daniel sit up, "by the way, I'm Dr. Buren, head of the- well, was head of- the science division in Sky City."
    "How many...survivors?" Daniel wheezed, trying to look around him. People were sitting or lying down; some were standing and talking to others. No one was screaming though, or yelling. There were only sounds of soft cries and whispering. In a way, the latter was far worse in Daniel's mind.
    "Twelve hundred, I think, no one has officially counted heads." Dr. Buren looked worried as he looked over the crowded room of human beings.
    "What do we do?" Daniel's mother raised the question on everyone's mind.
    "We sit here and wait, that's what we've been doing ever since we got here." Dr. Buren looked down at Daniel, "No one has come out and talked to us or anything. Just the soldiers over there, standing guard." He nodded his head in the direction of the men wandering around the crowd of people with guns hanging by their sides.
    "How long was I out...?" Daniel asked, his breath returning to him. He looked down at the dried blood on his hands. He reached up and touched his cheek, it had been cut by a shard of glass and it was covered in bandages.
    "We've only been waiting a few hours; I can't imagine they'd keep us in here for too much longer."
    Silence fell in their group and Daniel noticed his mother wasn't acting herself. She was biting her fingernails and looking nervously around.
    "Mom," He grabbed her hand away from her and held it. Her fingers were chilled and he began to rub his hands together around hers to create warmth. She looked on the verge of a meltdown and he had never seen her like this. Though, when Daniel's father died, he went to check on her one morning after his passing and she wouldn't move, she just cried. She sobbed and held on to a pillow next to her. He was only ten years old and too young to understand that kind of sadness.  
    "Dad told you about the location of the ship," Daniel looked at her, "Didn't he?" She wasn't meeting his eyes; her face was turned away, staring at some unseen object across the hangar.
    "I...thought." She started softly, but couldn't finish. More tears ran from her bloodshot eyes.
    "You thought it wasn't real." Daniel didn't have to guess. He put her now warm hands down back in her lap, slowly. She nodded and put her head in her hands. She was told something that seemed impossible, but here she was, sitting in a quiet hangar bay of a ship that she thought was make-believe not even five hours ago. He hoped this wouldn't affect her too badly.


    Hours passed but Daniel couldn't sleep and not a lot of other people could either. The metal floor was cold and there were no blankets. Soldiers took shifts watching the crowd and some came back one time with tables full of food. Daniel didn't feel like eating, he hadn't eaten in several days and his hands shook. All he had put into his stomach was the bitter liquid he drank when they were back on Sky City. That's all he ever consumed and the idea of drinking more was wrapping its fingers around his mind. He clenched his fists to keep them from shaking as hard. Something told him in the back of his mind that there could be alcohol somewhere on the ship; he just had to find it. No, he shook his head, he couldn't leave his mother. Just forget about it, he told himself.
    A cold sweat formed across his skin after a while, he was having trouble keeping himself together. The scientist was looking through a small notepad when he noticed Daniel shaking.
    "Is something the matter?" He asked, looking up at him.
    "I'm..." Daniel swallowed, "just having a hard time a-adjusting."
    "Your skin is abnormally pale, you look like you're about to be sick." Dr. Buren noted. On cue, Daniel vomited. A few people nearby groaned and moved away. Daniel fell forward on his hands and threw up again. His mother stood by his side; she stroked his back, trying to keep him calm.
    When there was nothing else left in his stomach, he wretched and coughed. He felt like his insides were shriveling up due to the lack of his habit. He needed it, the vomiting was only getting worse, and he needed to find the liquid. It would make him feel better; it would make all of this go away. He could feel the anxiety building up inside of him.
    "I can't- I need...something...anything." Daniel started writhing on the floor. His mother knelt down beside him, shushing him, wiping the sweaty hair out of his eyes.
    "There's none here, Daniel." She said softly, trying not to make a scene, but more people started to take notice. He let out a whimper when she confirmed his worst fears.
    "There's someone sick over here, he keeps throwing up!" Complained a middle-aged man, pointing at Daniel. A soldier walked forward through the crowd of people and stood in front of Daniel and his mother. Daniel was wiping the sweat from his brow and getting ready to throw up again, he wasn't really concerned with the soldier at the moment.
    "What's wrong with this man?" The soldier asked roughly. He looked around at several of the places where Daniel had vomited.
    "My son is very sick-"
    "I can see that. What is the matter with him? And why is he wearing an officer's uniform?" The soldier was getting impatient. Daniel's mother hesitated and looked nervously at her son's jacket. She couldn't believe he still had that on.
    "You can go ahead and say it, Mrs. Walsh. He doesn't need to be protected all the time." Will spoke up, his tone darker than normal.
    "William, I will not. Mind your own business, please." Daniel's mother said hotly, her face growing warmer. She laid her son's head down on the metal floor. He was slowly closing his eyes.
    Just as the soldier was about to intervene, the door above the stairs opened with a hiss. A set of stairs led to a metal balcony overlooking the hangar. Every pair of eyes turned up to see who was coming out of the door and the room fell silent.
    A man in a suit stepped out of the door and walked forward onto the balcony, looking down at the people with an emotionless face. He turned and motioned for a soldier to come closer. The nearest soldier hustled up the stairs and shared a few quiet words with the man in the suit. The soldier nodded and walked back down the stairs while the man waited, checking his watch.
    "Him!" The soldier, who had talked to the man waiting on the balcony, walked along the crowd of silent people, "The sick man. Where is he?"
    The soldier standing beside Daniel and his mother grabbed Daniel and hoisted him to a standing position, "Here he is, sir!"
    "What? What's going on?" Daniel's mother rose to her feet too. She held on to Daniel, even though the soldier shoved her hands away.
    "They need to see him. Let's go." The other soldier ordered and walked forward to Daniel, who was unconscious.
    "No! He's not going anywhere until someone tells me what's going on." Daniel's mother shouted, "Right now!"
    "Stay back, he's coming with us!" The soldier holding Daniel dragged him through the parting crowd of people. "Back off!" The rest of the people in the way backed away quickly. The other soldier reached for Daniel and pulled something out of his bag. He snapped his fingers underneath Daniel's nose causing him to jerk awake. Daniel gagged and was barely able to stand up.
    The two soldiers had to grab Daniel under each arm and pull him up the stairs. Halfway up the stairs, he vomited again and slumped over. The man in the suit was growing more impatient by the second. He didn't want to touch Daniel, but he had no choice. They managed to drag him the rest of the way up the stairs and through the door. Most of the people in the hangar seemed mildly worried for the young man, but looks could be deceiving. Will never stood up during Daniel's sickness or when the soldiers came to retrieve him, he only observed the scene with narrowed eyes.


    Daniel only stayed conscious long enough to notice the carpet beneath his feet as they dragged him through a hallway. The walls were a deep, beige color drywall and the trim at the bottom was wood. It looked like Daniel was suddenly taking a tour of someone's home. Paintings hung at random places along the hallway, they were beautiful masterpieces. Confusion was an understatement. Why had the scenery changed so fast? And what kind of people were running this ship, the good kind or the bad? Daniel couldn't lift his head up any longer; he was too exhausted and mentally drained from withdrawals.
    

    When he awoke, he felt the cold metal around his wrists and he knew he was handcuffed. Daniel could barely open his eyes and when he did, his vision swam. He felt like his head was like a ticking bomb waiting to explode.
    He fell forward on his knees roughly, while the sweat from his forehead dripped down his temples. He realized he was in a room full of people who were quiet and staring at him. No one spoke a single word and they were frozen, waiting to see what would happen.
    The room was one of the most amazing things he had ever seen; beside the first time he saw the whole ship on the outside. It was designed like an amphitheater, the officers who were at systems control stood or sat behind desks that made a half circle around the main part of the room. A large table was the center of attention; it seemed to be the navigation panel. Holograms of stars and galaxies floated above it. The half circle of desks and the navigational panel were nothing compared to the view that the room had. Daniel could see billions of stars outside the glass wall of the bridge. It was, obviously, a very thick pane of glass, but it was magnificent and he felt like he could reach and pluck one of the stars out of space.
    The people in the room were officers of the EAF, Daniel immediately knew this by the uniforms they were wearing. He had on a similar uniform but it was very old and not the same style. Their jackets were a dark navy blue and the flaps of their jackets overlapped and buttoned down on the right side, close to the arm. One man walked around the navigational board slowly, studying Daniel. The two soldiers that had grabbed Daniel in the hangar were standing right behind him.
    "That was a very selfless thing you did, risking your life to close the last hangar door." The officer spoke, his voice was very deep and mild. "What's your name?" He asked.
    Daniel didn't answer; he didn't trust any of these people any further than he could throw them.
    The officer seemed to get the hint; he paced back and forth in front of Daniel. "I'm Captain Parker and you're on board the Legacy." He introduced himself. "But, I'm sure you already knew that."
    He wasn't smug, but he held a special tone of authority that didn't leave much room for doubt. If there was something important that needed to be said, it would be mentioned, and all objections were out the door.
    "These are my First Officers." He turned and introduced a serious-looking lot, who seemed like the last people a person would want to cross. Daniel figured the EAF would only assign the best aboard a ship to save the human race. "Ian Connerly, our second Navigator; Nathaniel Taylor, Senior Staff Officer; Grace Parker, Chief Navigator-" Daniel immediately recognized the young woman who watched from the other side of the navigation panel. The brown curls of her hair were halfway tied back, framing her face and she looked at Daniel with the best poker face he had seen in years. But he distinctly remembered her in the shuttle ticket line in Los Angeles. She was the girl with the Navigation emblem on her jacket, the gold compass. "And Kyle Stevens, my First Mate."
    Daniel's blood turned to ice water. A figure walked forward from the dimly lit shadows by the navigational panel. His mind couldn't process what he was seeing or hearing, he felt like stealing one of the officer's guns, shooting Stevens and jettisoning himself out the air lock immediately. He decided that was what he was going to do when he saw the young man staring at him. Daniel would do anything to get him out of this room.
    Kyle Stevens. The reason why Daniel was handcuffed on the floor in an old ratty uniform with a broken hip. Kyle was the bane of Daniel's existence, the reason why he could never be a pilot like his father and why his reputation was compared to the stuff you step in and wipe off your shoe with a doormat. The harbinger of evil, if you will.
    Kyle was the b*****d who planted the exams under Daniel's bed, and the downfall of everything Daniel stood for afterwards. Somehow, the a*****e had survived a black hole in the center of the earth. What were the chances of that? But he could see all of this register on Kyle's face too, like he couldn't believe Daniel had made it out alive either.
    Daniel was going to graduate top of his class at the Flight Academy, and Kyle was going to come in second under Daniel, as in the second best pilot. And that wasn't good enough for Kyle, he had to make sure he would come out on top, no matter the costs. Kyle and his buddies had gotten into a routine of tracking Daniel down and beating him up to make a point. They would threaten him within an inch of his life if he didn't give up the top spot of the class. Of course, Daniel didn't back down. Kyle took it further; he trashed Daniel's belongings, sabotaged Daniel's practice flights, and setting fire to a trash can in Daniel's dormitory room. Until finally, Kyle figured out beating Daniel up and tearing up his credibility wasn't going to make Daniel change his mind, so he added a third player. The Academy's Board of Education.
    Kyle put the exams under Daniel's bed and threatened to kill him if he told anyone the truth or managed to get out of the situation.
    Now, Daniel was the one sitting on his knees, handcuffed and looking like a homeless person arrested for sleeping under a bridge. And Kyle was wearing the officer's uniform and the Academy's First Class emblem on his lapel. Daniel did not care about the emblem anymore; he wished it would fall off of Kyle's jacket and burn straight through the hull of the ship. Kyle had stomped on Daniel's honor and Daniel had every intention of getting it back, no matter the costs.
    Daniel made the first move, he hopped up on his feet, ignoring the pain and lunged toward Kyle. But unfortunately, it looked like he was going after the captain. This resulted in far worse consequences than he thought. The girl, Grace, stepped forward quickly. Her arm swung out, close lining Daniel. The entire room ooh'd and gasped in surprise at his attack and her retaliation, it was over in moments.
    Daniel's back had hit the floor before he could blink and he could see black spots in his eyes. Ian's face had lit up as if he had just witnessed a MMA beat down. The soldiers sprang forward and gripped Daniel under his arms; they slung him around, roughing him up and punching him. Some of the staff officers were trying to intervene and get in a few punches. Daniel leaned back against one soldier and kicked another one below the belt.
    "ENOUGH!" Captain Parker shouted, the scene froze and the soldier definitely didn't let Daniel out of his reach now. Instead, he slung Daniel over the navigational panel and tightened his handcuffs. Daniel's bloody face pressed against the once clean glass, but now it was smeared with blood and sweat. He could see Captain Parker exchange a few quiet words with Kyle, Kyle frowned, saluted and left the bridge without a word.
    "I will not tolerate this kind of behavior on my ship-" The captain started, but there was a sudden beeping noise coming from the navigational panel, like the computer systems were loading.
    "DNA matched." A woman's computer-like voice stated, the entire room fell into silence again, "Daniel Alexander Walsh. Father: Stephen Walsh, co-creator of the passenger ship, Legacy."
    

    The soldier let Daniel's face slide off the panel with a squeak and he landed on his back on the floor. He groaned and twisted so his body wouldn't crush his hands. Great, now everybody knows, Daniel thought to himself with a grumble, perfect. He tried to fit his legs through the loop of his arms, but failed miserably.
    A hologram of a man's face beamed up from atop the navigational panel. Daniel froze. He couldn't believe what he was seeing, and there seemed to be a lot of that happening lately. His father was looking straight ahead with sad eyes; they blinked and seemingly studied the room then finally landed on Daniel.
    "My son, if this message has been received, then I have failed. I've failed you and I’ve failed mankind." He continued in the dead silence of the bridge, every eye was trained in on the hologram. "I know that you are not the captain, and I have left that decision in the hands of a trusted friend of mine." He paused before saying the next few words with a lump in his throat.
    "If you're listening to me now, then I am dead." He let the sentence sink in, looking down at the piece of paper in his steady hands. Daniel felt his chest tighten. He was wrong, he was so wrong. He was a fool, and he had always been a fool. Daniel clenched his hands. How could he have doubted this? How could he have believed for a moment that his own father had abandoned him? But, now he knew the truth. And it broke his heart into a million pieces on the bridge floor.
    "Earth is gone, but the era of man-kind has only been given a fresh start. With the help of your great-grandfather, grandfather, and I, through the sacrifices, we have paved the way for a new, brighter civilization to be reborn through the ashes." He continued, "Knowingly, we've prepared for this day and devoted our lives, so that you and the human race could live and prosper." He looked deep into the camera, like he was standing there with them on the bridge, "Remember, my son, the ship is the key." On a final note, Daniel's now-found father set his paper down on the desk in front of him and smiled with a nod, "Your journey begins."


    The hologram disappeared and all eyes were back on Daniel. He shifted uncomfortably and shifted back to sitting on his knees. His mind was foggy like he hadn't slept in days. This was probably the case. He hadn't eaten which was causing his hands to shake uncontrollably. Daniel just wanted to close his eyes and sleep forever. He wanted to keep the image of his father's face fresh in his mind. After ten years he had slowly forgotten what kind of facial expressions his Dad had made, like when he laughed or talked. Daniel thought he would never forget, but the sad fact was, that he did. He did forget. Now, he had just seen him again on a hologram, telling Daniel to save the human race. There was no, "Hey, son. Long time, no see." All he got was a short anecdote about Daniel's ancestors and instructions not to screw it up, because they'd sacrificed all of their time for him. Which was ironic to Daniel, because his father was almost never around when he was a child. Stephen would spend hours or even days at work without coming home. And when he did, there was very little time for his son. So, when his father told him that he'd been sacrificing all of his time for Daniel all along, it was extremely difficult for him to believe.
    Grace looked at him with unreadable eyes, Daniel's own eyes were blurring again, so he couldn't tell what she was thinking. She turned to the Captain and spoke a few words with him, something Daniel couldn't make out. Ian was watching him, but not with suspicious eyes, he seemed curious about Daniel.
    Daniel suddenly felt sick again. He didn't want to vomit on the bridge, so he tried to hold it in. Ian noticed Daniel's paleness turn a different shade and he decided to help him out. He walked over to the young man and started trying to unlock the handcuffs. Ian could tell Daniel was beginning to fall over.
    "Hold on for a second, wait, almost-" Ian muttered and unlocked the handcuffs just as Daniel fell sideways to the floor. His face hit the metal with a thump. Grace and Captain Parker looked over at the unconscious young man on the floor, then at Ian who was trying to pick Daniel back up like he had just knocked over an expensive vase at a museum.
    "Officer Parker, see to what I've asked you to do." Grace clearly didn't like her orders, but she followed them anyway. "And Officer Connerly?" Captain Parker raised his eyebrows, Ian stopped trying to sit Daniel up and just let him slump down to the floor. "I'd like to have a word."
    "Captain, have I not scored perfect on almost every test the Academy had to offer?" Grace interrupted Ian's turn, her eyes lit up with anger. Ian backed off, and stood some feet away.
    "Yes."
    "It's illogical to use my skills with this kind of matter, I would like you to reconsider and-" She was talking heatedly, so the Captain put his hand on her shoulder. He noticed she looked just like her mother when she talked about something she felt strongly about.
    "Don't worry, Grace. I know what I'm doing." He reassured her quietly, "And this is perfect for you, you'll understand." She saluted, ending the conversation, and huffed as she walked away. She stepped around the unconscious young man on the floor and tried to forget that he was even there.
    

    Daniel woke up on a cold, metal table. A bright light was above his eyes, he moved his hand to shield his vision from the light but he felt a tug on his arm. He glanced down and saw an IV running into his forearm. Why couldn't he wake up normally for once, he thought, like in a bed? He remembered getting sick on the bridge and Officer Connerly trying to help him, but he must have blacked out.
    He lifted up his head and realized he must've been in the medical bay. There were other metal tables scattered around the room and counters full of medical supplies and equipment. He was the only one in there as of right now. He also noticed he wasn't wearing any clothes except for a pair of white shorts that ended at his thighs. His head felt lighter and he rubbed the top of his head with his other hand.
    All of his hair was gone. Short hairs poked his hand and he couldn't decide if he appreciated someone cutting all of hair off yet. Daniel reached over and unhooked the machine; he then pulled out the needle in his forearm and threw it aside. He sat up and swung his legs over to the edge of the table. Daniel looked around while he rubbed the sore spot where the needle once was. He was just now hearing the classical music that was playing softly to one side of the medical bay, and he realized it was coming from an office.
    Dr. Buren poked his head out from behind his desk and could see Daniel waking up and noticing him. He waved and reached over to cut off the music. He picked up his clipboard and left the office.
    "Good morning, how are you feeling? Light-headed? Queasy?" He asked Daniel as he walked over to him.
    "No, I'm fine." Daniel muttered, still rubbing his arm.
    "Well, you're fine now. You suffered from severe alcohol poisoning and a broken hip." Dr. Buren pointed his pen at Daniel's side, "I used a special serum that was created a few years back. It injects enhanced bone cells that repair the broken bone within a few hours. When you stand up, you'll find that you can move without any pain, it's like you never broke anything in the first place." He said, proudly.
    "Thank you," Daniel nodded his head. Dr. Buren noticed him rubbing his arm at where the IV used to be.
    "Hold on, let me take care of that." He reached to the right and picked up a few gauges and white wrap that held them in place. He pulled out Daniel's arm and set to work on the wound.
    "I thought you were a scientist?" Daniel asked.
    "I am." Dr. Buren nodded, "But I was a medical doctor before I went back to school to become a physicist."
    "Where are Will and my mother? Have they moved the people from the hangar?"
    "Yes. And your mother and your friend are safe; they've both received an apartment each." He looked up from working on Daniel's arm, "And so have you."
    Daniel decided to ask him something that had crossed his mind several times beforehand, "Who was the girl on the bridge? The one with the dark hair?" He asked curiously.
    "There are a few women who are stationed on the bridge with dark hair, but I think you're referring to Officer Parker." Dr. Buren cut the wrap and set down the leftover gauges on the stand beside the table. He said this like he suspected Daniel might have been interested in knowing. And that wasn't a terribly good thing.
    Daniel read his solemn face, "Is something the matter with her?"
    "No, not at all. She's just very serious with her job. She's a Navigator." Dr. Buren backtracked; he did not mean to sound like there was anything wrong with Officer Parker.
    "I knew she was a Navigator, I saw the emblem on her jacket." Daniel looked off in the distance, like he was trying to see a mental picture of her in his mind.
    "She's very independent, Daniel. And strong-willed. Though, that's not a bad thing, at all." Dr. Buren warned him, "She gets it from her father."
    "Her father?"
    "The Captain. Captain Parker." Dr. Buren said this like it was an obvious thing. But this had completely flown over Daniel's head, he sat there stumped. He had a feeling he had stuffed his hand in a hornet's nest and tried to shake it around. He shouldn't have tried attacking Kyle because the Captain was standing near him, so it looked like he was attacking Grace's father, but he wasn't.
    "But, we need to talk about something else, something that's a more serious matter." Dr. Buren interrupted Daniel's thoughts. Daniel looked back at him; he could already tell what was coming.
    "Your alcohol addiction-" Dr. Buren began, but Daniel started waving him away, not wanting to talk about this. Dr. Buren shook his head and spoke anyway.
    "Your liver is damaged, I was able to do some extensive repair, but there are still the risks of you losing it if you drink again."
    "I-I'm fine. I'm fine." Daniel repeated himself, hopping off the table and turning his back to Dr. Buren.
    "You're not fine. There is no alcohol on the ship, Daniel. You're going to have to take care of yourself." Dr. Buren informed him, still sitting on his stool by the table, "Cutting off an addiction immediately is known to bring out the worst in a person, and you will experience things that would not be normally attributed to you."
    He continued. "But when you closed the tenth hangar door, I knew there was something special about you, and the Captain saw it too, Daniel. You can and will overcome this, everyone's counting on you."
    Daniel didn't say another word except for, "Thank you," And walked out of the medical bay doors.


    He quickly got lost when he tried to find his way around the ship. He didn't have a shirt on, so Daniel hoped he wouldn't run into many people. Of course, what he wanted was not exactly the way it went. He stepped onto an elevator and noticed that it was shaped like a glass tube. Around the glass was water and colorful fish darted away as the pressure started to build up. Interesting, he thought, water pressure to control the lift and drop of the tubes. So no real amount of electricity was used, only natural energy. When the elevator stopped and the doors hissed open, he locked eyes with the one person he was hoping he wouldn't run into right now. The look on her face said the same thing.
    "I'll wait for the next one." She pursed her lips and stepped back from the tube's doors. Daniel held the door though.
    "No, it's fine. Going up?" He waved his hand to the empty elevator. She made up her mind and stepped inside with him and stood as far away as possible. The doors closed and there was the loudest, most awkward silence he had ever witnessed. He studied the numbers above the door, while she looked off to the side where the water was rushing past.
    The painful silence continued until the elevator reached her floor. She didn't return the polite smile that usually happened between two people that barely knew each other; she stepped off the elevator and turned toward him.
    "Your cabin is on B Deck, tenth floor. Be on the bridge in thirty minutes, Captain Parker would like a word with you." She informed, the elevator doors slid closed and just like that, she was gone. Daniel stood there, unable to form words. She was like a museum exhibit, cold, factual, and you couldn't get close. It was going to be extremely hard to break the ice with her, even if by some miracle she would allow them to be acquaintances. He grumbled and pushed the elevator button for the tenth floor on B Deck.


    When Daniel reached the floor, he was surprised. The cabins were grouped together in a circular pattern. In the middle of the cabins was a ceiling-to-floor aquarium. The men in my family must've really appreciated marine life; Daniel thought and stepped out into the circular hallway. He didn't know which cabin was his, so he tested his fingerprint on each lock pad outside the cabin doors. He must've looked ridiculous, but no one had seen him, so he felt better about that. Finally he found the right door and the lock clicked open.
    Inside, there was a full-sized bed, a dresser, and a personal bathroom. It looked like a decent sized hotel room that one would find in Sky City or in Los Angeles. Daniel closed the door behind him and realized that he was truly alone now for the first time since the Incident. It was quiet in the room and he was starting to like the idea of quietness, until he remembered that he needed to be at the bridge soon.
    He stripped off his shorts that were given to him in the medical bay and he decided to test out the shower. He didn't quite understand how to turn it on, since there were only two knobs. He turned one and freezing cold water drenched him and he hopped around, cursing. He turned it off and then slowly turned on the opposite knob. The water felt like rainfall and he stood there for a few minutes, letting the water soak him and thinking about what was going to happen next.  
    Daniel turned off the shower and stepped out; he dried himself off with a towel and looked through his dresser. He browsed through the shelves and found several pairs of underwear; he put one on, and then noticed a uniform hanging on a wire by the mirror in his room. He couldn't believe it. It wasn't just any uniform.
    It was his father's uniform. And it had been repaired. The holes had been patched and the material had been cleaned. They person who fixed it, also altered the style a little, so it would fit better. When Daniel tried it on, the left flap now overlapped the right just like the modern style EAF uniforms. The only thing different now, was his father's uniform was black with dark gold buttons. There was also the pilot's emblem on the lapel and the decorated medals untouched on the breast pocket. Daniel took off the medals and laid them down on them dresser. He wasn't fooling anyone walking around with those pinned on him. But he left the pilot emblem on, not that he still considered himself a pilot, but to honor his lost father who was a legendary flyer himself. Then he put on the rest of the uniform and looked in the mirror. He was missing something. He rolled up his sleeves to just above his elbow and fastened the small button there on both arms. But Daniel didn't know if he liked what he saw, because he shifted uncomfortably under his own gaze.
    He looked exactly like his father.


    There was a knock on his cabin door and Daniel went to go see who could be at his door. He looked through the small fish eye hole in the door and then pressed the button by the door. Ian greeted him with a grin.
    "Ready to go?" He asked expectantly. Daniel looked confused.
    "Officer Parker told me I would be walking to the bridge alone?"
    "Grace isn't the dictator of the ship, and I was on my way there anyway. We can talk on the way there." He waved the Grace problem away and urged Daniel out of the cabin. Daniel stepped out of the apartment and followed Ian to the elevator.
    "Nice uniform, the black makes you look like a bad a*s." He pointed out simply and pressed the call button for the tube. Daniel grunted his thanks and stood next to Ian when the elevator arrived.
    "I spoke with Captain Parker and he assigned me as your handler, I have no idea what that means, so don't ask. I guess I just keep an eye out and make sure you don't go on an alcohol raid or anything." He laughed at the last part, but Daniel didn't think it was funny. It seemed the whole ship now knew he was an alcoholic at one point. Great, he thought.
    When they reached the elevator outside of the bridge, Ian gave Daniel a warning before they entered the bridge.
    "Just don't pick any more fights; the first smack down was embarrassing enough." Ian smirked and entered through the double doors. Daniel remembered Grace dropping him in one swing and he was quickly sprawled out on the bridge floor. He winced at the memory.
    When Daniel followed after him, the bridge was busy as usual and no one paid him any attention. No one was pointing or calling him out for being beat up by a woman, so he was strangely calmer than he thought he would be. But nerves still racked his brain.
    Captain Parker looked up from the navigational panel and Ian saluted, but Daniel was unsure what to do since he wasn't EAF anymore, so he just saluted too. He looked around and Kyle was nowhere to be seen. Good, Daniel thought, maybe I could concentrate on something else besides wanting to choke Kyle while he was around. Grace was writing something down on a sheet of paper and didn't look up at Daniel when he stood next to her.
    "I'm glad you're back to health, Mr. Walsh." The Captain nodded at Daniel. "Alright, let's debrief. You all have had some time to think on your preferred course of action. Officer Taylor?" Daniel knew Taylor was in charge of the staff officers and security.
    Taylor stepped forward, he was a strongly built man with a deep voice, "My staff has successfully given a cabin to every survivor, and I've gone through the signature list for the apartments, there hasn't been any sign of him, sir." Daniel was confused, who were they looking for?
    "He probably used a pseudonym so he wouldn't be discovered immediately," Grace discussed.
    "We're on a ship out in the middle of outer space, how hard could it be to find one person?" Ian asked.
    "It's definitely harder than you make it sound, Officer Connerly." Grace shot back. It wasn't that she was defending Taylor; she was defending her own logic. Daniel had never seen anyone like her in his entire life. She was hell-bent on protecting her reputation as the cleverest person on the ship. So, naturally, Daniel stepped in even after Ian warned him not to pick any more fights.
    "If you suspect this person could be hiding among the passengers, and then set up teams to search the cabins. And don't warn them ahead of time of an impending search, so you won't ruin the element of surprise." He offered. Grace turned her head and stared at him. "But I have no idea who you're searching for, so I can't really-" Daniel raised his hands defensively.
    "Jack." Grace informed him, "We're looking for Jack."
    Daniel suddenly remembered the rebel that stood atop the building on the Inner Ring, shouting to his followers that it was their time to take Sky City for their own.
    "Why do you want to catch Jack? His followers are gone, aren't they?" Daniel questioned the small group of people standing around the panel.
    "We don't know that for sure," Captain Parker answered, "There could be some still alive on board, but knowing Jack he could have a small army in a matter of a few months. He's a fast converter."
    He changed the subject and turned to Grace and Ian, "What is the status on the hyper drives?" Ian suddenly looked uncomfortable, like he really didn't know how to break the bad news. Luckily for him, Grace was able to pick up the tab.
    "We went to the engine rooms, and the hyper drives are damaged from the launch, so it will take some time to repair them, Captain." Grace stated.
    "I need a time frame for when they will be back online."
    Grace quickly glanced around the panel, like she was nervous that everyone would call her a failure all at once, "Within the month."
    Taylor's shoulders fell and a few officers at their stations groaned quietly in disappointment. The Captain sighed.
    "Very well."
    He then looked at Daniel from across the panel, "I have an assignment for you, Mr. Walsh."
    A spark of hope ignited in his chest, he wondered for a wild, brief moment if Captain Parker would re-instate him as an officer.
    "I'm making you Ambassador of the Legacy." Captain Parker said. Daniel's heart fell into his stomach, but he showed no emotion on his face. An Ambassador? What the hell?
    Back on Earth, Ambassadors dealt with other countries and their people. Since none of that existed anymore, who would he be dealing with?
    "I want you to look after the people and take care of them, they have problems that need to be solved and you will be able to connect with them one on one. They will look to you for guidance when they have issues and they will come to respect you." The Captain walked around the panel and pinned an emblem on Daniel's lapel. It was a golden olive branch, the sign of peace. He didn't know how he felt about this, one day he was a drunk stumbling through the streets of Sky City, getting kicked out of night clubs and the next he was an ambassador aboard a vessel holding the last of the human race.