Rhea - Prequel Read online

She was not sure how long afterwards she was alone. In her mind it could have been minutes or it could have been hours, time raced, and time meant nothing.

  At first her mind, or at least her memory was crystal clear. She thought how her life had not flashed by, but some things did. Her childhood and parents: early days at college. She had been luckier than most, and we all had to die sometime. Still if only it could have been later…

  There were regrets, not many but some. Children, a happy life with someone she loved. Her first marriage had been… adequate. The thought struck her that, that was not a good way to remember it at this time.

  In a way she had been living on borrowed time. Many: too many of her old friends had died: most in glorious battle. Whereas she had been too valuable and had been protected. It was something she had never considered when she had chosen; almost at the derision of some of her friends, to study metals. It seemed she had always known she thought differently, she had and did. It was because of that, that she was dying now.

  The scraps of metal that had been brought to her had been a revelation. Whatever they had called the alloy, it was from an entirely new group to her own civilizations. It struck her that even though she believed she had investigated all the possibilities, someone somewhere always had slightly different thoughts.

  Who would have imagined an ancient alloy combined with Alliance technology would open an entirely new field of research, and possibilities? Who would have imagined that it would be her who would create an entirely new scientific path? Her parents would have been proud, and she tried to smile: well she had. Immodest it may have been, but it was part of the dream that had led to her theoretical discipline. If it hadn’t been for…? She panicked as she realized she had forgotten what she had been thinking. For a moment fear welled in her. Her mind was clouding: was this the onset of death? She didn’t want to die in regret and she tried to remember the good times.

  It was then she realized she was not alone. Her eyes were not functioning, and all she could see was a dark shape leaning over her.

  She thought it was… Was… now even her murderers name eluded her. She tried to think of nice things but all she could think of was why come back when the missile was coming?

  “Professor Thain? “

  The voice pounded at her to gain attention

  “Professor Thain? “

  She wasn’t interested anymore; she just wanted to be left alone to di... to drift away in peace.

  “Rhea? “

  She felt a pressure on her wound. Pain surged through her making her try to arch her back. She gasped and choked as agony flooded her body

  A voice was talking behind the red mist of pain “It will pass. It will pass.”

  It wouldn’t, she knew it wouldn’t; but then it did. Like water running from a tap the pain drained away.

  Rhea slowly opened her eyes and vaguely saw someone.

  “Relax you are safe now.”

  The words made her want to laugh. What part of her lower body hadn’t been blown away was hanging outside, and if that wasn’t enough a Corporation missile would vaporize them all at any moment, and they wanted her to believe she was safe?

  They... she realize there were others in the room; others were easing her gently onto the floor.

  “Who…” It was too difficult to say more.

  “Later, firstly we must tend to your wounds.”

  Later? She remembered the homing devise in her coat. She desperately wanted to warn them but at last the clouds of unconsciousness rolled over her