Chapter 3

Samantha moaned in pain as she slowly opened her eyes, and then moaned again as she quickly closed them. The dizziness was worse with them open. When the dizziness had calmed somewhat, she tried opening her eyes again and wished she hadn't.

Through the view-port it appeared that she was traveling down a narrow twisting tunnel of red, pink, and orange gasses. It reminded her of a health video she'd seen in school, where a small camera was inserted into one of the body's orifices. Thinking she was being swallowed, Samantha passed out again.

When she next woke, she reached out for the drinking straw with her good hand, moaning with pain as she did so. She took several sips of water, before braving another look outside. Then she closed the view-port. She sagged back in her seat gasping and sweating in pain the effort had cost her.

With eyes glazed with pain, she fumbled around for the medicine cabinet to find some painkillers. She put what she hoped with the right kind into the hypo spray, and, praying she had the dosage right, pressed it to her left thigh and hit the trigger. Soon the pain faded and her eyes took on a glassy empty look.

"Ooo," Samantha cried, feeling light headed. "I guess I used too much," she giggled.

Leaning back comfortably in her seat, she dreamily reached out to activate the pod's voice computer. She flicked numerous switches, turning the interior lights, as well as other systems, on and off, all the while saying in a sing-song voice, "Computer? Computer?"

Not receiving an answer, she pouted and said, "Computer, why won't you answer me? Don't you like me?"

"Error! Question not understood. Please rephrase the question."

Happy, Samantha cried out, "Computer!" She moved to hug the small screen in front of her, and then screamed in pain when her injured left arm hit a storage cabinet.

"Error! AAIIIIEEEE!!!!!! Not understood. Please rephrase the question."

With the euphoric high mostly burned away by the pain in her arm, she muttered, somewhat angrily, under her breath, "That wasn't a question. That was me screaming in pain!"

"Acknowledged."

"Where am I?"

"In escape pod 0472-6851C of the survey ship Nutmeg."

Samantha gritted her teeth in an effort not to cuss out the machine. "And where is the escape pod?"

"Location unknown"

Samantha felt a stab of fear. "Why ... Why ... Why don't you know?"

"Nebula currently blocking pod's sensors."

"Where's the ship?"

"Clarification needed"

"The Nutmeg! Where is the Nutmeg!" She yelled, crying.

"Unknown."

"Call them!"

"Acknowledged." A second later the computer said, "No response."

"KEEP TRYING!" Samantha screamed, on the edge of panicking.

"Acknowledged."

Samantha fell back, sobbing in fear and pain. When she'd cried herself out she drank some water and ate some food from the food tubes. She felt cold and numb all over. This was partially because, in her drug induced stupor, she'd turned the air conditioner on. However, it was mostly from shock. She was lost and all alone.

Quietly, she asked, "Where are we going?"

"Unknown planet, location," and the computer listed a bunch of numbers that meant nothing to her.

"In layman's terms please," She said, wearily.

"Dead ahead," The computer replied.

"Oh, that's not so bad. How long until we get there?"

"Estimated arrival time in one thousand, one hundred, and ninety nine days from now."

"Oh, Ok, that's good. WHAT?!" Her relief had turned to alarm when she realized just how long she'd be trapped in the pod.

The computer began to repeat its answer for her, "Estimated arrival time,,, "

"I heard that!" Samantha screamed, cutting off the computer. "That's more than three years!"

"Affirmative."

"This thing's life support won't last that long, will it?"

"Negative. Life support insufficient for such a journey without activating the emergency life support systems."

"Emergency life support?" she repeated questioningly, "What's that?"

"Pod occupant is to be placed into stasis until within life support limits of an inhabitable planet, space station, starship, or other such habitation. Emergency life support systems activating now."

"What?! NO! Don't activate them!" Samantha cried, terrified, but it was too late. She could hear the hissing of escaping gasses coming from underneath the console.

Between her legs she saw a white cloud around her feet. As the cloud swirled around her ankles, she could already feel her feet tingling under the effects of the gas.