I barely remember how I got here. But when I sleep I live a nightmare I do not even remember. Pain fills my body as my own breathing takes over from the nonworking respirator in my mouth. Tearing it from my mouth and throat I puke the nonexistent contents of my stomach. Through cloudy vision I can see the spider webbing panes of my cryotube and watch them expand before exploding in my face.
Glass crunches under my weight as I fall to the deck, my nose twitches from the mixed smell of burning fuel, ozone and acrid smoke. I try and evict my stomach contents to no avail. The blaring klaxons consumes my hearing with an occasional muted whump from some explosion elsewhere. A rough hand grabs my under arm squeezing painfully but with purpose lifting me to my feet and pulling me along. I try to speak but find nothing coherent to say. His face enters my vision, a face I know but can not recall.
His lips move and I hear nothing but his face and eye show concern and fear. I feel my own lips moving but mute they remain. A strange warmth baths my face in a crimsons sheet and his face goes slack then turns into unbridled rage. I feel weightless and slipping away into darkness before the monster screams at me for blood...
My eyes shoot open as I pull the service pistol to bear at the door to the shelter.
"Your heart rate is in excess of 130bpm. Please take notice that sedatives are in either treatment vial."
DAISY's voice twanged slightly of a programed southern drawl. But it was reassuring enough being as she would have sounded my suits warnings as well as her vocal emitter. I set down the pistol and shivered as I became aware of the fact I was bare. Safety regs dictated that in crisis the suits were to remain on twenty four seven. The nightmares however mixed with a suit that was not even mine made me miserable.
"Nightmare again?" I could only nod as I pulled my legs to my chest and almost hear the unspoken 'tsk' as DAISY spoke again.
"That makes thirteen and its not even been a week since this incident occurred. You need to stay focused if you are to survive. Be more constructive and active."
I knew she was right but I was in a dark place in my thoughts. Grabbing the pistol I turned over on the bed and pulled the blanket back around.