Furrowed brows and confusion only clouded the minds of the crowd of geniuses for a mont before most of them realized exactly what Jessica had understood from the start.
"Director! You can’t do this!"
"He’s right! You can’t sacrifice yourself here, Leader! No one knows more about this project then you!"
"If soone needs to stay behind, let do it!"
Imdiately, voices called out, imploring Doctor Zhang to reconsider, with so even volunteering to take her place, but Jessica was steadfast in her decision as she forcefully broke free of Trevor’s grasp and snapped, "What are you all still standing around for?! Get moving! You’re right, I’m the one who knows this project best, so I’m the most qualified to stay behind! Now go!"
Just as the crowd of researchers and staff were about to argue back, an unthinkable scene occurred.
Lt. Ashford pulled out his sidearm and without hesitation shot Doctor Zhang in the chest, causing her to collapse on the spot, a look of shock and disbelief covering her face.
Scooping Jessica up, Trevor ran over and shoved her into the arms of the closest person to them.
Looking up at the annoyingly handso face before him, the face of the man who had disdained and insulted him constantly since he arrived here, Trevor suddenly found there was no reason to act polite anymore and spat, "You know, I’ve always hated your ass, Joon."
Doctor Segreto, for once, seed tongue tied and couldn’t co up with an imdiate response.
Seeing this, Trevor couldn’t help laughing, "Hah, well, considering how obsessed you are with her, at least I know you’ll make sure to get her stubborn ass out of here."
And with that, Trevor turned around, dashed over to the primary control console, activated all the protective forcefields to isolate the lab from the outside, and began furiously adjusting the power-flow settings in front of him.
While he was basically nothing more than a glorified security guard, Trevor had still graduated with degrees in Spatial chanics, Warp Theory, and chanical Engineering, giving him the absolute bare minimum knowledge required to not be completely lost here.
He couldn’t advance Project Twilight, but he had picked up enough over the years to understand how to delay the Spatial Tear’s formation. All he needed to do was dampen its ability to absorb energy while continuing to stabilize the spatial harmonics of the containnt field.
Any of the researchers present could do a better job of that than Trevor, but that was precisely why he was the one who needed to stay behind.
Simply put, the scientists here were all essential to the continuation of Project Twilight. None of them were expendable, especially not Jessica.
Just now, she had proven again that she understood more about Spatial Tears, why they ford, and how to potential stop them, than anyone else in the room.
She couldn’t be allowed to die here.
As for Trevor... there were countless others who could take his place.
Still, just because he thought he could succeed, didn’t an the young lieutenant had gotten full of himself.
Imdiately activating his com-terminal, Trevor called out, "I’ve re-directed power from reactors 4 and 5 to the containnt field, what should I do next... Co on! Talk and run!"
A second later, Vice-Director Müller’s aged voice sounded in his ear, "You need to synchronize the power output of all the reactors. Start by adjusting the flow settings on the far right of the control panel."
Trevor imdiately got to work, and with guidance from Carlos and several of the other project leaders, he continued making adjustnts to the critical systems as the Spatial Tear continued to expand and destabilize.
The task was hardly labour intensive, as all he needed to do was push a few buttons and adjust a few sliders, but Trevor was still sweating buckets from the stress, all while trying not to think about his impending demise.
Ever since he lost his family in the Great Disaster, Trevor had constantly felt frustrated that he couldn’t contribute more, so when the opportunity to save the lives of the alliance’s best hope of survival appeared before him, how could he refuse?
Saving Jessica was undoubtedly his top priority, both from a personal and profession standpoint, but there were plenty of others on the base who Trevor also considered friends who he didn’t want to see die.
If his one life could be exchanged for all of theirs, that sounded like a pretty good deal to him.
There was just one thing that gave him pause; Lilly.
Trevor knew his baby sister was more than capable of taking care of herself, but as her last living relative, the thought of dying without even being able to say goodbye to her stung him deeply.
Still, nothing in in life was ever perfect, and just because so decisions were difficult didn’t an you could avoid making them.
Trevor had made his choice, now he had to make peace with the consequences.
Before anyone knew it, 18 minutes had passed and the ISDF Lexicon of Truth had cleared the facility’s spacedock.
Noting that the ship had left, Lt. Ashford kept adjusting the field intensity and power flow to the experint furiously until a few minutes later, staring at the main console, he called out for what had to be at least the hundredth ti, "What’s next?"
But unlike every ti before, nobody answered.
Finally, after 10 agonizing seconds of silence, a familiar voice called out, "I’m sorry, Trev, there’s nothing more you can do."
Freezing up for a mont, Lt. Ashford felt his sweat drip down his nose and plop onto the screen below before quietly asking, "Will you make it, Jess?"
Silence fell once more as he continued watching the space inside the primary containnt field twist and distort. It seed like an eternity, yet only an instant all at once before he received an answer in a slightly shaky voice, "We’ll make it."
Nodding, Trevor Ashford backed away from the console and collapsed into the nearest chair, "That’s good... En, that’s good."
"Why... why did you do it..." Jessica asked, haltingly at first but then growing more and more anxious, "You’ve always been so indecisive, so hesitant to act, so why choose today, of all days, to suddenly beco brave!"
Leaning back in the chair, staring up at the ceiling, Trevor let her angry words wash over him for a mont before asking, "Do you rember what we talked about last night? How I wanted to make a bigger contribution to the project? And how we didn’t want to die with any regrets?"
"Are you trying to tell by doing this you’ll have no regrets?" Jessica asked back sharply.
"Nonsense! I have a whole buttload of regrets still," Trevor chuckled wryly, a mischievous grin soon forming on his face, "Like, if I’d known it would be my only chance, I would have insisted we go at least 3 more rounds last night in bed."
"You!!" A vid-screen snapped opened, allowing Trevor to see a furiously blushing Jessica scowling and pointing accusingly at him, "How could you say that on an open channel!?"
eting her gaze, Trevor just smirked cockily. He was about to die anyways, so what did he have to fear?
The staring contest lasted for 30 seconds before Jessica muttered, "If that’s what you wanted, you should’ve just asked. It’s your own damn fault for being such a wuss..."
Feeling like he had been punched in the gut then slapped in the face, Trevor let out sothing between a cough and a laugh as he complained, "Even now, you can’t cut so slack?"
All he got back was a snort.
The two then glared at each other again for a mont before sharing a laugh.
All the while, the tir continued to tick down.
23 minutes soon passed, and the evacuation ship had reached a safe distance.
With nothing more to do or to worry about, Trevor Ashford let out a sigh of relief and did his best to get comfortable.
Trying to stay calm, but with her eyes clearly becoming moist, Jessica Zhang asked in a trembling tone, "Is... is there anything you’d like to tell Lillian?"
At that mont, many thoughts crossed Trevor Ashford’s mind.
Words of apology.
Words of advice.
Words of comfort.
Words of encouragent.
Things he wanted to say to his little sister, things he wanted to say to the woman in front of him, things he had never gotten to say and would now never get to say.
He felt like pouring out all his feelings, yet didn’t even know where to begin.
The mish-mash of emotions swirling around his head were too difficult for him to understand, much less describe; but here, at the end of his days, with the limited ti he had left, there was just one thing he felt he had to say, "Tell Lilly I love her, and that I’m sorry I won’t be there for her graduation..."
Through her quiet sobs, Jessica sohow nodded and promised, "I-I’ll tell her. I p-promise, I’ll tell her.
"Thanks, Jess..." Trevor breathed a sigh of relief before suddenly rembering sothing "Actually, co to think of it, I didn’t actually say those words to you last night, either, did I?"
Sitting up, a soft expression filling his face, Trevor t eyes with the woman across the screen from him and confessed, "Jessica, for the longest ti, I’ve always lov..."
.....
Staring at the static filled screen before her eyes, Doctor Jessica Zhang, the young prodigy in charge of the Terran Alliance’s highest priority research project, finally couldn’t stop the tears from pouring down her face.
It was only after Trevor ntioned it just now that she too rembered that despite taking that important step last night, both of them had actually forgotten to put their feelings into words.
Now, it seed, she would never get that chance.
Understanding that, it felt like soone was driving a dagger through her heart.
"I always wanted you to be more assertive, but not like this..." Jessica sniffled, as she muttered to herself.
The bridge was abuzz with noise as reports of a massive Spatial Tear forming behind them echoed about, but all Jessica could hear at that mont was the deafening static coming from the screen in front of her.
It was only several minutes later that the ship’s Captain finally asked, "Director Zhang... what are you orders?"
Taking a mont to rub her eyes dry and steady herself, Jessica lifted her head and declared, "Note the date and ti in the log, then set course for the Rho Indi System for repairs and re-supply."
Taking a glance at the tear-stained yet determined face of the woman less than a third his age beside him, the ship’s Captain sighed silently to himself before nodding, "Yes, ma’am."
.....
After-action report:
Earth Standard Ti: 2788-02-02, 17:38.
Project Twilight experint 126 resulted in a catastrophic containnt breach, leading to the total destruction of research facility Alpha-1.
The accident resulted in the death of Lieutenant Third Class Trevor Ashford, posthumously promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Commander Third Class in recognition of his sacrifice in the line of duty, preventing further loss of life.
Project Twilight to continue as soon as replacent facilities are made operational.
End report.
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