Outcasts of Gideon

Time Without Time : Part 1

Dawn had secured herself in the berth across from Quinton. This was on the third level. She guessed it was about midway up the ship, but she couldn't be sure. What she did know was that they had access to the living quarters. She was getting hungry.

When they finally took off, the temporary berthing would limit their burn. For that reason, they would probably float a while. That would give her a good bit of time before they pierced the bubble. Time to think. Maybe time to eat.

She had a lot to think about. Now she was getting ready to pass through the empty again. That had more meaning than it ever had before. When she was afraid of it, she didn't know why. Now she knew why. Now she knew what it felt like to get stuck. It was like a sore on the inside of her mouth. Even though it was unpleasant, she would probe it again with her tongue.

She knew it might happen again. In fact, it was likely to happen again. She had made the choice to go back. It seemed to the others that she wanted to get stuck. Only she didn't. What she wanted was to understand.

Dawn let out an audible sigh. She took in her surroundings. When she looked over to Quinton, he was staring her way.

"Anxious about the trip?" he asked. She'd come to enjoy his gruff voice.

"What am I not anxious about? Way too much going on."

"Indeed. I haven't left Dione in a very long time. I'm not a great traveler like yourself."

"I'm hardly a traveler. I do better when my feet are firmly on the ground."

"And there's the empty."

He knew the words affected her. She could see it in his face. She must have been a sight, a tightly wound ball of anxiety. "Yeah, there's the empty."

"Tell me about where you are from. These people you travel with. Who are they to you?"

She welcomed the distraction. "Well, I guess you know Kishan."

"Yes, but how do you know him?"

"I don't. He was sent to take something away from us. From Mister Lackey."

"The point of light."

"Yes."

"In your limited experience, what do you think of him?"

Dawn hadn't thought much about it. "I guess my first reaction is that he seems a bit mysterious."

"I can see that."

"Who does that, works for a crime organization? Who chases after people like that?"

"He has changed since I last saw him."

"Not that he's been scary or anything. That's why I say mysterious."

"What about the others? How do you know them?"

"Well, I work for Grant. Worked for, I guess. Not sure what that will be like after all of this is over. Dewey is one of his pilots. Bobby is just someone we know."

"You've all stayed together."

"What choice did we have?"

"You always have choices. Like going through the empty. You chose to go through again. You could use stasis instead. There's still time."

She offered an awkward smile. "I guess I want to know more."

"As do I. What do you think you will learn?"

"I'm not sure."

"Well, what did you learn from the first time?"

She'd been chewing on that since it happened. Only at the edges. It hadn't fully formed in her mind. What did she learn? What was her experience? She remembered it vividly, but could she put it into words? "I guess I learned that there's more to it."