Bram groaned weakly, his eyes blurry and misty. The light in the room was brightly disrupting his eyesight.
'I will need to take the shot again,' Bram thought as he climbed down from the bed.
"How long was I asleep?' He muttered under his breath. The ship must be on the right route, as there was no cause for alarm at the moment.
He could remember how he was running away from the massive swarms of Crokuns chasing after him. He held Misha in his arms like…
He held the boy affectionately, his arms holding him protectively as if afraid he would be harmed.
'What in the name of the galaxy was that?'
He doesn't remember agreeing to save Misha, nor does he remember joining hands with that Commander to do anything.
But he remembers almost throwing Misha to the Crokuns so he can escape faster from a situation he has no memory of involving himself in.
He also remembers fainting from exhaustion. His anorexia had hit him badly; his lack of food had caught up to him.
Furthermore, he has a lot on his plate right now.
It won't be long before the advanced Crokuns start coming after them. He noticed the pattern the Crokuns used for attacking planets, stars, and other life forms. When the Crokuns attacked, they made sure to leave a survivor who would lead them to their next food station.
'Whoever created this virus has an open agenda to wipe out every civilization in the galaxy.
"Crazy' Bram chuckled.
'I would love to see where this plan will end'
Without warning, the entire room buckled violently, catching Bram off guard as he was slammed against the wall.
This was followed by a deafening sound that made Bram groan in annoyance.
Beeeeep! Beeeeeeeeeep! Beeeep!
Bram staggered up, seething under his breath. He noticed the change in his attire as he wobbled towards the door. He was, for the first time, wearing pink pajamas and a matching bunny slipper.
'What. The. Fuck.
Where did his corporate wear and lab coat go to?'
Whoever did this will regret playing this stupid prank on me.
Slamming the door open, he walked out. Everywhere was chaos. The mother ship was shaking strongly.
The control room was under utter destruction. Tan was struggling with the panel, while Kion was seriously working on the control keys.
The butler held onto a wall for support, and the commander?...
In another control room, the commander's fingers blurred across the holographic interface as he tried to correct their sudden change of course, with Asier at the side working on the falling power plant.
Bram rushed in, his whitish pupils wide with urgency.
"What happened?'
"We are in the middle of nowhere. Drifting deep into space
Without looking up, Vadrian answered almost absentmindedly.
"How did this happen?' The mother ship was specifically made with my personal blueprint, only set in one setting for travel.
"It seems the only place safe is no longer in our option,' Vadrian looked down at him.
Bram stepped back, feeling a little off about the commander's gaze.
"How do you like your pink outfit?'
Bram glared at him. "So, it was you who put this on me?'
"It's not that bad,' Vadrian scoffed. "This fits you perfectly, better than the boring attire you wear every single day.
"You had no right,' Bram sneered in disgust. The fact that this man had stripped him down and saw his body unnerved him. Here he was acting like what he did was the most basic thing any normal person would have done.
"Oh?'
Vadrian raised an eyebrow in amusement. Watching Bram acting disgusted was really new to him.
Though the young man didn't remember him in any sense, it was understandable when it came to Bram.
He remembered Bram falsely approaching him during their days in the Royal Academy in the name of love. He knew Bram was just curious about the Bravta Clan and how their bloodline worked. Bram never once had any feelings for him or anyone at all.
He was an elusive youth then.
Even when he was abducted by the Bratva clan. He was calm at first. When he couldn't dig deeper to satisfy his curiosity, he applied for an annulment of their marriage.
That's when he had to make his own move.
"I don't have time for this,' Bram gave out a heavy sigh.
"The power plant is failing rapidly,' Asier announced as he tried going deeper into the alarmingly hot power plant.
Seeing his precious son in imminent danger, Bram lunged across the buckling space room where Asier drifted near the power plant and hauled him out of there.
"Are you trying to get yourself killed?'
Bram glared at him as he checked for injuries and burns. Seeing none, he hugged him close, tightly enough to suffocate.
Watching this scene, Vadrian was confused by the difference in the treatment Bram was giving their kids.
He remembered how Bram had held Misha protectively in his arms and called out his name as if Bram had seen through his disguise.
He is now convinced of two things. Either Bram has bipolar issues or something, or someone had tampered with the timeline of the cosmic galaxy that caused the Bram of the past fragments to prevent Misha's death.
Asier was silent throughout Bram's outburst. Talking will only fuel Bram to confine him again. The last thing he needs is Bram locking him up in the name of protection.
"Go back inside; don't come out till I say so,' Bram strictly instructed. The mother ship had settled a bit; the shaking wasn't as threatening as before.
Asier gave a curt nod as he walked away; his little face held no expression.
Bram's expression returned to normal as he turned to face Vadrian.
"Don't you think Asier is capable of taking care of himself,' Vadrian raised a brow.
Bram weaved him hand dismissively. "I believe he can. He's my most prized possession after all. That doesn't mean I'll let anything happen to him.
"Misha is vulnerable. Don't you think you should focus a bit more of your attention on the boy?
Bram frowned. "Misha is of no value to me. Why should I waste my time and resources on him?' All he does is get into trouble and expect everyone to jump in and save his ass.
"Regardless, he is worth protecting,' Vadrian replied without much thought. "He might be the only source of light in our dark reality.
Bram tilts his head in wonder. What does everyone see in Misha?' And why is he the only one who couldn't see it?
He was born and raised in a laboratory; the feelings weren't mutual for him as they are for others. He had suppressed and ignored some emotions, which yielded no benefits to him.
Misha was both a simple and a complex case for him.
"How about this: why don't you spend time with him,' Vadrian gave a faint smile.
Bram saw himself getting drawn to the commander's smiles.
'Beeeeeep! Beeeeeep! Beeeeeeeeeeepeepepe!
The deafening alarm jolted Bram from whatever trance he was in.
"We're falling twenty kilometers per second into an unknown planet. This planet is not registered on the galaxy's radar.
"What?' Bram monitored the hologram. "We will soon hit thirty kilometers a second if the power plant does not respond.
"This planet is a blue anomaly that is not in our system, and the gravity hit like a physical blow, dragging the mother ship down,' Tan announced from the control room.
"I have never seen anything like it.
The mother ship is sturdy and durable. Yet, there was no guarantee that the occupants would survive.
The damage will be nonpreventable, more likely to result in death.
Warning. Atmospheric entry angle is critical. Surface impact imminent in five minutes.
"Everyone to the bunker now!!!
Bram roared.
Critical failure… altitude descending rapidly… impact in two minutes….
Everyone had run towards the bunker beneath the mother ship, pulling and carrying the unconscious ones with them.
… impact in ten seconds…
"Where did the infant come from?'
Bram frowned at the baby wrapped rigorously in a white tunic, sleeping peacefully in the butler's arms.
Ed gave a sheepish smile. Tan rapidly fixed Misha in a restraint to prevent later injuries. He turned to his own restraint only to see Asier staring coldly at him.
"Where is my restraint?'
Tan was shocked. Asier had no restraint for protection. And everyone was busy getting ready for the impact.
Bram turned away from the hologram on the wall to his son with no restraint. He turned to Tan.
"Why isn't he on restraint?'
"The last one was used for Misha,' Tan replied calmly.
Out of habit, Bram wanted to order Misha's restraint taken away; however, looking at the boy's weak body and pitiful state, he couldn't bring himself to make such a demand.
"Come, Asier,' Bram quickly unfastened his restraint.
"What about you?' Asier asked, puzzled at Bram's action. He wanted to protest, but Bram doesn't have the luxury of time to spare. He grabbed the boy into the protective seat and buckled the restraint to a close.
Meanwhile, Vadrian, who had just locked the bunker, ran towards Bram in a protective cover.
Then, suddenly, it happened.
The floor dropped out from beneath them.
The mother ship entered a sickening, vertical nose-dive, turning their stomachs completely inside out.
The sheer speed of the descent dragged at their chests, making them impossibly heavy, pinning them back against the reinforced bunker.
Their eyes squeezed shut, gripping the safety restraints until the knuckles turned white. Every muscle in their body is locked rigid. Stranded in the breathless, terrifying blindness of their own closed eyes, they rode the agonizing drop-viscerally feeling the planet rushing up to meet them, counting the final, silent seconds as they braced for the brutal crush of the mother ship hitting the ground.