Number Seven //Book One// - Dark Matter (COMPLETED)

Episode 3

3rd Person POV

Everyone was sitting in the mess hall eating breakfast and talking.

"Good morning everyone." Android says over the loudspeaker. "Here is your report from the bridge. I hope you're all enjoying a hearty breakfast. The ship's engines are operating within acceptable parameters. At current rate of travel, we should be arriving at the space station in approximately 26 hours and 7 seconds."

"Exactly 1 hour earlier than the last time she updated us, one hour ago. Thank you robot." Three says, eating his food. Seven pushes her food around on her plate with her fork, not really eating any of it. "So, here's what happens when we hit the space station. Hawk the ship, split the profits, have a fond farewell toast and pay each other adieu."

No one said anything.

"No?" Three questions.

"You want to split up?" One asks.

"Yeah, we're 7 strangers and a robot." Three says. "We don't owe each other anything."

"But we're a team." Five says and Seven nods.

"No offense, but this 'team' has a lot of dead weight on it." Three says.

"Offense taken." Six says.

"Once we get to the station we're going to refuel, resupply and repair." Two says. "I'd be happy to give anyone who wants to leave their share or whatever we have left, but we're not selling the ship." Then she leaves.

"Ain't up to her." Three says.

"I don't want to sell this ship." One says.

"Me neither." Five says and Seven taps on Five's shoulder. "Her either." Five speaks for Seven. The two of them get up and leave along with Six, One and Four.

"Me neither." Six says.

***

Five and Seven were bored. And they're kids.

"You wanna play a game or something?" Five asks, walking into Six's room with Seven behind her.

"Nah, I'm just gonna take a nap." Six says.

Seven taps on Five's shoulder.

"You're right, he is a buzzkill." Five says, voicing Seven's opinion.

"Sorry." Six says.

They go to ask One.

"No thanks, kiddos." One says. "I found this antique book in one of the holding rooms. It says it's a classic, so I'm sure I've read it before---" They were already gone.

They walk to Four's room.

"Hey." Five says and Four shuts the door on them.

They walk a little further.

Seven points up to the ceiling.

"Vents." Five says smiling.

They go through the hatch and explore the vents.

Five stopped at a hatch to a room and she opened it up, Seven dropped in behind her.

It was some sort of storage room.

Five moved a box and they saw a dead body. Seven's jaw drops and Five gasps.

***

The dead body laid on the middle table of the infirmary as the Android scanned him.

"Male." Android says. "Appears to be in his mid-teens."

"Didn't need to break out the fancy scanners to tell us that." Three says. "How long has he been dead."