Paradise

Fifteen

3019, Zeus Space Center | Space

Almost instantly, Rizza swatted away the taser before Richard could end up on the floor, twitching. The man growled and lunged at her while the rest of the guards aimed their guns at Richard.

He pulled the body of Jones as he miraculously dodged all the lasers. He settled behind a wall close to the docking area of the ship. Andrew was still absentmindedly muttering to himself.

Richard took out his gun to join the fight only to be ambushed by the guards with their guns blazing.

He rushed back to a stack of crates, using it as a barrier to avoid the gunshots. Richard breathed heavily as the barrage of lasers continued.

Richard had a clean shot, allowing him to knock out one of the guards. But then they threw a device and landed beside Richard. He looked at it quizzically only to be knocked into the clearing. Then all of aa sudden, the hatch door opened, allowing gravity to suck everything into space.

He took hold of a railing before he realized that Andrew and Jone's bodies were being sucked into the void. Richard could only watch in horror as the bodies slid off into space. . .

Then all of a sudden, a spaceship came in front of the open hangar with its ramp open. The bodies landed onto the ramp before the ship closed it. Richard's heart leapt for joy.

On the ship's window, Richard saw Ben and Justine.

When he turned, he barely had time to react when a crate slammed him in the face.

And everything went black.

- - -

Rizza kicked the mysterious man in the crotch. He staggered backward and placed his hand on tge wall for support. She could tell that the man was still in pain.

Deciding to take advantage of the situation, she aimed her gun and was about to shoot when one guard suddenly slammed to her, sending her to the open hangar. She screamed.

Suddenly, lasers shot out from space, heading straight for the guard but then the helmet was the last thing she saw before the door to the hallway of the Zeus Space Center closed.

And then she landed on a metal ramp with a thud and clang before the ship closed and took off into space. Rizza tried to control her breathing as she recalled her intense moments of almost getting sucked into death.

She looked around. It was bright, but not bright enough. She could see crates almost everywhere. Beside her, she saw Jones and Richard unconscious.

"They'll be fine," came a familiar voice.

She saw Ben standing there, stoic but barely trying to hold his smile. Rizza stood up, rushed to him, and hugged him.

She breathed. "You're alive. Thank goodness you're alive."

"Crushing me," he muttered. She let go.

Ben led Rizza upstairs to her cabin. When they entered the hallway, it extended until the end of the room. Lights hung on the ceiling. There were doors on both sides of the corridor.

"Where are we going?" Rizza asked.

"Wait," he replied.

Ben led her to one door and after pressing a passcode, the door opened with a pfff, leading her to a suite with a comfy bed, a comfort room, a closet, a window and a desk.