Heaven Can't Wait - Chapter 33
29 Sep 2018 03:02 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jennickels
Chapter Thirty-Three - Helpless
There’s a bathroom at one end of the mess hall where they stop to clean Heaven up. Bellamy lets her splash in the sink while he wipes down her face and arms. How did she get oatmeal in her ears? Heaven fusses, turning her face away whenever he gets near her, but eventually he manages to get her clean then washes his own hands and face.
“Better, huh?”
She holds her doll up. “Bae?”
She’s about to dunk the doll into the partially filled sink when Bellamy finally understands what she wants. He dips his hand in the water and gently wipes at Bae’s face then dries it with the corner of his shirt. “Now Bae is clean, too.”
Heaven beams and hugs the doll, running for the door. Guess she’s ready to go. But go where?
As they leave the bathroom, the station trembles ever so slightly—different from the normal vibrations of the power and air recyclers. Bellamy frowns when the lights flicker. Heaven just stares at them until they stay on again. She looks to Bellamy for something—an explanation maybe?
Bellamy just shrugs. “How about we go for a walk? Maybe go find Raven.” I need an update on repairs. But not because I’m head of security; I’m just curious. The voice snorts. Bellamy frowns again. It’s hopeless and he knows it. Kane will make him take this job because he’s right—Bellamy just can’t let go of control. He sighs and takes Heaven’s hand. “Let’s go.”
They’re only halfway to engineering when entire station shudders, rattling loose wiring and pipes. The lights flicker again, getting the attention of an older couple apparently out for a morning stroll as well.
“What’s going on?” the man asks. His wife fiddles with the pearls around her neck.
“It’s just a storm. Nothing to worry about,” Bellamy tells them with as much confidence he can muster.
“Storm?” the wife squeaks.
Bellamy smiles. “The regular kind—I promise. I’m on my way to engineering to see about the lights. Everything is fine.”
They don’t exactly look reassured, but the man takes the woman’s hand and guides her away. Just as they turn the corner, thunder booms, shaking everything. Heaven presses her hands over her ears, moving closer to Bellamy. A light fixture above Bellamy pops, showering them with sparks and leaving them in the dark. The other lights flicker for a moment then go out all at once. Great.
Bellamy finds the closest wall, keeping one hand on it as he walks. Heaven clings to his pant leg but isn’t crying. Yet.
He really wishes he’d thought to keep a flashlight on him—there are a couple in the security office. He considers going back to find one until more thunder rumbles. Each blast feels closer than the last.
Pulling the radio from his belt, he toggles over to the channel for engineering. “Hey, Raven?”
It’s several seconds before she answers. “I’m kind of busy turning the lights back on right now. What do you want?”
Bellamy grins. “Any idea when that will be?”
“No idea. Looks like the lightning took out a transformer on the outside of the station. I’m sending some people over to fix it, but this storm is getting worse. I don’t know how long they’ll be able to stay out there.” She sounds exhausted.
“Outside? Won’t that be a prob-”
“Bellamy, just let me handle the lights—you keep us from killing each other, okay?” There’s a loud bang and shouts from her end. Raven groans. “I have to go.”
“Okay. Just let me know if there’s any progress.”
She doesn’t respond. Bellamy picks up a very fidgety Heaven. “Now what?”
The hall is pitch black—not even the emergency lights are working. He’s not sure where they even are anymore. The thunder becomes less of a rumble under their feet and more like crashing cymbals, vibrating his teeth. Must be near the outside of the ship. Sure enough, when they get to the end of the hall, a flash of lightning dimly lits a side passage. Guess we’ll go that way.
Bellamy nearly laughs when he sees where they’ve ended up. Again. He peers through the window of the observatory doors. The place is a mess of scaffolding and equipment. The room lights up suddenly with a brilliant flash, nearly blinding him in the darkness. Heaven starts fussing, pointing at the door.
“I don’t know if we should go in. Raven might get mad.”
Heaven points at the control panel then back at the door. It might be their last chance to be in their special room. Raven is so going to kill me. He starts to punch in his code, but Heaven smacks his hand away, pressing it in for him. The panel lights up green as the airlock engages, locking the other door and opening theirs.
“Smarty pants,” he mumbles into her ear then kisses her temple. On the other side, she slaps the button that reverses the process, opening the door to the observation room.
Right away, Bellamy knows something is different. The air is cool and humid. He can hear the rain pounding the station while the lightning creates a strobe effect in the center of the room. Heaven squirms until he puts her down, running to the dome. The thunder finally comes, shaking the station for a good twenty seconds straight. This isn’t good at all.
Bellamy joins Heaven staring at the sky filled with swirling colors and fingers of lightning branching out, occasionally spitting to the ground. It’s terrifying and beautiful at once. “Wow,” is all he can manage to say.
Transfixed, they watch for long minutes as the storm rages. In the flashes of lightning, Bellamy can see Raven’s crew scrambling over the broken structure of the Ark. Repairing the transformer. But something isn’t right. The thunder suddenly quiets and Bellamy hears it—their screams reaching through the steel hull. No.
“Oh, god.”
Heaven starts dancing under the strobe effect of the lightning. Bellamy, though, can’t take his eyes off of the crew desperately trying to get out of the rain. The station shudders, and it takes him a second to realize these tremors aren’t from the thunder. He watches in horror as one of the crew falls off the side of the station. Then another. No, they’re not falling—they’re jumping. Acid burns his stomach as it twists into tighter knots. Black rain. And there’s still a guy up on the struts.
Bellamy has never felt more helpless as the guy’s grip gives ten feet above the station. He lands with a thud and doesn’t move. This isn’t happening.
But it is.
Everything seems to slow down, but really, it’s all a matter of seconds. The lights flicker to life, and the external door screeches open.
“Help,” someone calls weakly. “We need help.”
Bellamy tugs the radio free from his belt, heart racing. “Bellamy to Medbay. Abby, come in? Jackson?”
Heaven notices the voices, too. He snatches her up, forcing her face into the crook of his neck. He has no idea what to do. Help or protect Heaven?
You see why this will never work?
Bellamy wants to scream at the voice, but it’s right. It’s always right. This is a nightmare. He squeezes Heaven tighter as she squirms.
“Bellamy?” Abby calls back a moment later. “What’s wrong?”
It takes a second to force down the bile stuck in his throat. “The rain-” He trails off, voice flat. “Prepare for wounded. And casualties. It’s bad. We’re in the observation room.”
Apparently sensing something wrong, Heaven settles in his arms. She reaches behind his neck to twirl his hair. Bellamy doesn’t know what else to do but wait at the door for the medics. And feel helpless.
