Still Alive

Adrien stared into the fire as it roared merrily, though he didn't really see the flames. Instead, he saw memories, flickering dimly. Faces of people from the past, people who he knew he would never see again. And then, there she was. Her smile, the way her hair fell into her eyes whenever she gave him that look. He could hear her laughter, infectious and unique. It made him smile, until he remembered he would never again have that smile turned on him. She would never laugh at one of his jokes, never make him feel the warm giddiness of love.

He would never feel her in his arms again.

A log cracked, shooting up sparks that erased her features, disturbing him from his reverie. He stirred, grabbing a long, thin stick and poking at the fire. "Damn," he said, sighing. "Stuck in the middle of nowhere, no way to get home. She'll think I'm dead, once news of the crash reaches her. Everyone knows the escape pods don't work half the time."

He rose then, and paced around the fire, shaking his head. "It's just one trip, Adrien," he said, his voice high in a mockery of another.

"It's just one trip, Adrien," echoed a voice in his head. "They want you specifically, though. Asked that you be the one to deliver the package."

"But I've never been off-world before, Kyle. And Helena wants to marry soon. What if something happens?"

"Nothing will happen, buddy. You're booked on the safest transport ship in the system." Kyle clapped his shoulder, grinning broadly. "And just think of the money you'll be making with this one. That wedding you want won't even put a dent in your pocket!"

Well, not only did Adrien not have the money now, but he never would. Nor would he ever see Helena again. This entire trip had gone wrong. And for what? So he could deliver a package no larger than his thumb to someone so far from home that they'd had to use a fold ship to travel.

And now here he was, on an uncharted planet with a dead pair of pilots, a wrecked ship, and a barely functional escape pod.

Fantastic.