The Invisible Planet

Part 7: Survivors

"Careful. Put her here," the green hooded woman said. Her voice was out of focus, quiet compared to the ringing in Angeline's ears.

She was vaguely aware of being moved and placed back down on the ground.

The left side of her abdomen ached horribly, but it was nearly overshadowed by the pain in her right knee. A hand pressed against her side and she flinched.

"Easy, love. You'll be okay." It was that man with the silky voice again.

Warmth spread through her body like a tender hug, tingling over her skin and down into her bones. She breathed in deeply as the pain subsided.

"She'll be alright," the woman said. "She just needs a few minutes." There was more talking, but her mind was too far away to hear it.

She opened her eyes again to the crimson and lavender forest. The two cloaked people were gone, and so were her injuries. Most notably, so was the horrible mangled device on her wrist. She sat up and examined her forearm, amazed to find that there weren't even marks from where it was surgically attached, or where the laser blast had burned her.

The wound in her side was gone, and the only evidence of her having been injured was the hole in her bloodstained shirt.

"How did they—?" She examined her knee next, finding her kneecap exactly where it was supposed to be and her leg fully functioning again. She stood up cautiously, but quickly found that she had never felt better. Even the soreness in her shoulders from sleeping on the ship's cheap mattress was gone.

She turned to the wrecked ship and circled around toward the entrance. Three hooded figures stood in front of the sealed door, their cloaks made of deep colored red, blue, and green, respectively. There was knocking and shouting from inside.

"Shit," she muttered, hurrying up to them. "How did you heal me like that?" she asked.

They turned to her.

"A simple thank you would suffice," said the woman in the green hood.

"Do you know how to open this?" the man asked.

She stepped up to the pad beside the metal door. "It's no use; the power's dead," she answered.

"Is there no manual release?"

"If there is, it's on the inside."

"I was afraid you'd say that." He turned to the shorter one in the blue hood. "Can you get us in?"

"I can try, but I don't know the layout," she answered. Her voice was quiet, and her accent lighter than the others. She stood back and held out her hand, and a circle of blue light formed in front of her, growing until it touched the ground and stood a head taller than the man. "This should be right on the other side of the door."

The red and green cloaks stepped into the circle and disappeared, and the sound of screaming came from inside the ship. For a moment, Angeline wondered if they were killing the other passengers.

A few seconds later, a frightened looking man appeared from the light. He stopped short, his eyes wide in terror.

"Out of the way," the blue hooded girl said, taking his arm and pulling him away from the circle.

Two more came through, and then another. One by one, Angeline counted twenty six passengers, many of them injured in some way. She was relieved to see Marita and Mikal with them. The man in the red cloak came through a moment later, carrying the pregnant woman in his arms. Her husband followed, limping with his arm around the shoulders of the woman in the green hood.

The red cloak set the woman down and the green one knelt by her side, placing her hands over the woman's stomach. "One of the babies is dying," she said, looking up at the red hood. "She'll have to deliver them now if they've any chance to survive."

"Can't you heal them?" the red hood asked.

"Not without direct contact. Tell Mira to bring Thalia so we can get her some shelter for a delivery." She placed her hand on the ground, and from it sprang a beautiful yellow flower with a blue stem. She plucked it and handed it to the woman. "Eat the petals; they will relax you and induce labor."

"Thalia?" the man questioned. "Wouldn't Krin's power be of more use?"

"Krin's trying to make up again. She'll tell Marius before you even finish your sentence, and you know full well he'd sooner see these people die than let us lift a finger to help."

The man scoffed in disgust. "I suppose you're right."

"Then get on with it. We haven't got much time."

Another blue circle appeared, and he and the blue hooded girl disappeared through it.

"What's going to happen?" the pregnant mother asked worriedly.

"We're going to bring someone to build a shelter for you, and then we'll help you deliver your children."

"How did you know there were two?" she asked. "I never even told Steven." The injured man was staring at her in concern.

"Two?" he repeated.

"Twins," said the green hood. "Identical, if I'm not mistaken."

"What are the rest of us supposed to do?" another man asked. "Our ComWatches don't even work."

"I'm afraid I am not your keeper. We shall heal your wounds and help you find shelter for the night, but we can offer no more than that."

"What about the ship?" another chimed in. "How are we getting to the Station?"

The hood didn't respond.

"We'll fix it ourselves," said Angeline. "This is clearly a civilized planet. They must have resources we can use."

"What planet even is this?" a woman asked. "I've been to every planet in Azuri, and none of them look anything like this!"

"Serenia," the green hood answered. "This planet is called Serenia, and I'm very sorry, but you're not going to be able to leave."