I'll Be There For You

ANKIT

Year: 2342

Month: September

Date: 17

Destination: In Asteroid Belt.

Sameer had broken the news. About how he'd overheard the shady girl. Ankit had known. Trusting outsiders was always a mistake.

He, Naina, Sameer and Roshan had met up in his room to discuss this.

"Did you hear anything else? Anything at all?"

Sameer shook his head. "She was vague as heck."

Ankit sighed and looked towards Naina and Roshan. Something was going on there. He didn't know what. But it was like the two were extra aware of each other's presence. And definitely not in a good way. Roshan hadn't looked at her once. And Naina was not happy about it.

Ok. That's it.

"OK. I need you both to keep aside whatever problems you have for later and focus. There's a girl on this craft who might be responsible for our future deaths. Thoughts. Go.", he said.

"I say we just head on confront her and her friends. She can't hide it then. And she sure can't lie.", Naina said.

Roshan laughed bitterly. "Oh she can't lie can she Naina? And you guarantee that? Because that's what you do don't you. Confront people about who they are?"

Naina's jaw twitched. She ignored Roshan and walked out the door.

Roshan sighed.

"Dude. What's going on? You're hiding stuff from us too."

They heard a loud bang outside. Followed by screaming.

"What did she do?", Roshan muttered and pushed past him out the door.

Ankit and Sameer followed.

Naina had barged into the Pressure Room where Sameer had last seen Vani and had removed the blanket from on top of her sleeping form.

"Get up." Naina said with deadly quiet.

"What the..." Vani woke up with a start, rubbing her eyes and yawning.

The rest of her friends soon trailed in.

"What's going on?" the kid called Maverick was scanning the room. His eyes landed on Naina and narrowed.

Naina grabbed Vani's wrist and marched her outside the room.

"Hey! Can't a person get some sleep in this monstrosity?" Vani whined while being dragged outside. "Let go!" she yelled suddenly.

They were all standing in the main room overlooking the huge meteorites suspended in space. Naina and Vani were breathing hard.

"You will tell us everything you have been hiding. Right. Now. And I swear if I get even a whiff of a lie, I will throw you out this craft."

Vani's eyes lit with recognition and then turned ice cold. She looked toward Sameer. She had figured it out. Smart girl.

Her friends though, were still confused.

They came and stood in front of her.

"Hey. Behave. We had agreed we'd do this together. And this is not how you talk to someone who's your colleague.", The boy with curly hair said. Phoenix?

Naina laughed. "They don't know do they Vani? This is you? Just you?"

Vani ignored her and out a hand of Phoenix's shoulder and gently pushed him away.

"Alright. I'll tell you all."

Maverick goggled. "Again? You pulled this crap again? Oh my god."

She shrugged unapologetically.

She turned to Maverick, Phoenix and Clive.

"Ever heard of a guy names Covey Rainer?"