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[Story] [Science]
In the Shadow
In a lifetime far, far from now the human race
was expanding and a mission was set to find a
planet for life. In a galaxy, where all was
unknown to the planet Earth, a crew from the United
World of America was sent to a green planet called
Oobleck. They were there to observe the planet's
ocean, collect data on the planet's climate, and
find places on the planet where vegetation could be
grown. The crew lived in a spaceship called PAW,
meaning Paving A Way, on the ocean of oobleck ,that
constantly had storms.
While sleeping in the spaceship, Ronda was
suddenly awaken by a loud thunderous noise. Since
she couldn't identify the noise, she rose from her
warm bed. Ronda uneasily made her way out of her
room and down the black, freezing hall. She
shuddered at thought of the walls coming in on her.
Approaching the ladder she descended to the lower
level. Entering the Control Room she was startled
to hear the alarm blaring and see the lights
flashing. She slopingly jogged to the instrument
panel on the other side of the engine pillar, the
source of the warning lights. Going to the
computer, she ran a diagnostic test to locate and
identify the source of the problem. at that moment
the other crew members entered the room.
"What's the situation, Ronda?" Captain Stovern,
commander of the spaceship PAW, asked.
"I don't know, but I'm running a diagnostic test
on the engine." Ronda, who was the head scientist
on the mission, said. The pulmonary results
printed and Ronda began to review them.
"I'll run more tests to determine the extent of
the problem and if it effected other systems."
Laxerd, the computer specialist, said. Ronda
reviewed the pulmonary results.
"Well what does it say?" Christen asked tapping
her foot on the ground. Laxerd and Christen were
staring at Ronda while Stovern read the results
over her shoulder.
"A foreign object is inside the engine air vent.
So what does the other tests say?" Ronda
explained. Christen had grabbed the results from
the printer and begun to read it aloud.
"It hadn't effected other systems and it seems
it has been on PAW since we landed the other day.
It entered the air vent from the opening by the
hover craft." Christen said. She was acting like
her selfish self, thought Ronda.
"Oh gosh, shadow. The cat is inside the engine
air vent. She wasn't in my room when I awaken by
the storm. She must of been scared of the storm
and went into the vent to get away from the noise."
Ronda whispered, staring off into the distance
with a blank face. She was interrupted by an
outburst of laughter. Laxerd was practically
rolling on the floor from laughing and Christen's
hand was on the control panel to support herself
from falling form the laughter.
Stovern was grinning but he still was able to
withhold his perfect posture. "What is so funny?"
Ronda asked trying to keep a start face. She
didn't notice a smile creeping up on her face.
" That stupid cat. I can't believe the UWA Space
Head Quarters (SHQ) made us bring it, what it good
for any way?" Laxerd said holding back tears from
the outburst. The UWA SHQ had sent the cat along
because they needed to the know the effects the
planet had on animals.
"We still have to get the poor thing." Christen
said trying to sound sympathetic but in the back of
everyone's minds they knew it was one of her many
acts. Laxerd had given her the eye so she make to
the greedy self, Ronda thought. "It may end up
ruining the engine, so what are you going to do to
get that cat?"
"Well, it's you or Ronda who's going into the
air vent and retrieving the cat." Stovern said
straightening his clothes.
"Stove I can't. I'm not comfortable with small
spaces." Ronda said as if she were gasping. She
knew her fear of claustrophobia almost lost her
seat on this mission, and it had always handicapped
her on almost everything she did. She shivered
thinking about being in the vent.
"Gees, fine I'll do it." Christen said speed
walking towards the hover craft. On the top part
of the wall by the parked hover craft there was the
air vent opening. The air vent had no cover so
anything could get in it. All around the floor of
the vent was clumps of cat hair from Shadow.
Shadow had been losing her hair from the stress of
being on the spacecraft. Before anyone could
reach Christen, she had already climbed in the
vent to her shoulders and had fallen.
"What did you hurt?" Laxerd asked. Ronda was
thinking how Christen always pulled these tantrum
starting when the crew left from Earth eight months
ago.
"I broke my ankle, all because that dumb cat!"
Christen said letting her face get all fired.
"Ronda it's all up to you, now." Said Laxerd
with a soothing voice that calm Ronda down a
bit.
"I can't. I can't..." Ronda was biting her
nails and was fidgeting, she couldn't stand to look
at the vent. She had to get Shadow or else she
would die.
"You can do it Ronda. Just keep repeating to
your 'I can do it'. Now go get that dumb cat."
Laxerd said to Ronda giving her a boost into the
vent. "Here's a flash light, now get going."
With the flash light in her hand as if to
protect, Ronda crawled through the hot, dusty vent.
Ronda felt as if the walls were coming in on her
and were drowning her. She was gasping for air and
she felt as if her lung were going to explode, but
she had to swim forward. It lasted for a lifetime
for Ronda when she finally reached the engine air
vent. Ronda hadn't noticed the frantic meows and
deep in her mind she was overwhelmed with feeling
of excitement, frustration, and caring about
Shadow.
There sat Shadow in a pile of her hair she was
acting as if she were searching for something Ronda
couldn't see. Ronda went over to Shadow and
grabbed her in her arm. "Lets go girl, were going
to be all right now. We're going to get out of this
coffin." Ronda whispered into Shadow's ear feeling
the pressure on her lungs fade and a feeling a
smile come upon her face. Ronda crawled through
the vent almost at a skip with Shadow and her flash
lighten her arm. They emerged from the air vent to
find that every one had left and went on with their
jobs. Laxerd and Captain Stovern were at the
weather panel studying the storm that began that
night and Christen went to rest in her room on the
second floor. Ronda was shaking from the her
experience and dropped Shadow. She grabbed the
vent cover, that Laxerd got, and put it over the
vent. She made sure it was on tight so another
mishap wouldn't happen again. Like a zombie Ronda
walked toward the second floor rooms.
Shadow stalked toward the air vent and stared
glaring up at a green creature that was between the
air vent bars. The green creature was some kind
animal alien that took the basic shape of what it
sees and it was focused on Shadow.
"Those humans are so uneducated. They always
look over the most scientific discoveries. You are
the first living thing on a planet other than
Earth. I gave those humans all signals and they
assumed I was only scared of a pathetic storm.
I'll catch you, one of these days." Shadow said
pouncing on top of the hover craft trying to reach
the green thing.
"No, you won't" Hissed the Creature retreating
into the darkness of the air vent.
"One of these days." Shadow mumbled to himself,
flicking his tail and waltzing off the craft into
the clueless human world.
[Animation]
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