Countdown

05:00

Space station 3's lone inhabitant stared bleakly as the red numbers flashed in the dark room. A cruel beep echoed off the metal walls, and a unnecessarily cheery voice announced, “Five minutes until detonation. Please evacuate now.” The girl glanced unbelieving at the speaker mounted in the ceiling, and shook her head.

Silently, the small box mounted on her belt flashed to life. A figure emerged from the beams of light it emanated. Tall and handsome, the young man sat down next to her, leaning against a pillar that cast an eerie shadow on the floor.

“No luck?” she asked quietly, hardly even looking at him.

“None. This place is as tight as they come. No way out, the shuttles are gone. I tried disabling the bomb, too, but... No override.”

She looked at the hard, floor beneath them. “Ah well,” she said quietly. “At least we got everyone else out safely. This could have been a disaster.”

“It still is.” She looked at him, trying to read what he meant in his face. He hid his eyes behind his black bangs, a tear running down his cheek. “I'm losing you. Isn't that a disaster?”

04:00

“I'm losing you too,” she said sadly. “The explosion will kill us both.” The girl started crying quietly, tears flowing freely from her hazel eyes. Her companion moved to hold her, knowing his touch would console him just as much as it would her. His hand dissolved as it touched her skin, just as it always did. She glanced down as he pulled it back and it reformed. She gave a small, sad smile. “Heh. Even in our last moments the rules don't change.”

“Eternally together...” he began, hoping for a response.

“Eternally apart,” she said softly.

Silence reigned.

03:00

The computerized beep once again resounded through the empty hallways, filling the stillness for only a second before the echo faded away.

“Do you think...” Her voice braved the silence, heavy with sadness. “that once we cross over, we can touch?”

He looked up at her, his dark eyes meeting hers. “That would be nice.” A smile formed on his face.

“But do you think it'll happen?”

“I don't know.” His attention returned to the floor. “But... If we can...”

She smiled, understanding. “I know. I wish for it just as much as you do.”

They looked each other in the eyes for a moment, still crying but smiling all the same.

02:00

“You know... all this time we've been together, I've wanted to tell you something.” He blushed in the dim light as he spoke, looking away a little.. “Now is the best chance I'll get, I suppose.”

“Me too.” She scooted as close as she could without dematerializing him. “You first.”

“I...” he struggled to find words. Why? He had waited, longed, torn his heart apart to say these words, and now he couldn't. “I... love you.”

The air in the station hung heavy as he waited for her response.

“Me too. I mean... I love you too."

01:00

The cheery voice interrupted them again. “One minute until detonation. Evacuate immediately. Have a nice day!”

They laughed, the sad mood lifted.

00:30

She looked at him, laughter still dancing in her eyes. “It's such a wonderful feeling, isn't it?”

“Absolutely.

00:20

“You know what?”

“What?”

00:10

“I think we will be able to touch.”

00:05

“Of course we will.”

00:00

Hey all! It's late, and I couldn't think of anything to rant about, so here's a random story that I wrote a long time ago! It's on my old blog too, but I still like it.