"Matthew it's damn good to see you. How is everybody?"

  "There was an accident sir," the Captain was visibly shaken by his statement, "Gryphon's out of it and none of us are feeling very well." He looked at Ramirez who had a sad expression on her face. "Request permission to dock sir."

  "Granted pilot. I'm afraid our ship has been damaged. We're running on minimal engine power so we won't be able to come to you. I'll have Meredith transmit our position shortly."

  "Thank you sir; it'll just be a little longer flight, that's all. Matthew out." The viewscreen flashed and went dark; Matthew felt his body tense as it did, the white blur staining his retinas with it's frightening glare.

  "We're receiving telemetry now ... Matthew?"

  "Yeah, I got it. I'm inputting the coordinates." The Jabberwocky lurched and shifted it's course. A dark spot floating above the Earth was it's new destination and the ship began to accelerate. "Time to Necronomicon, four minutes and fifty-two seconds ... mark."

  Ramirez forced out a giggle.

  "I'm looking forward to being back home."

  "It is home isn't it?"

  She looked at his tired face and smiled.

  "It's where Robert is; it's where I'll feel comfortable again, that's for damned sure."

  "Yeah, I'm looking forward to another shower. Maybe a cup of hot chocolate." He sat silently for a few moments, then licked his dry lips. "Do you think Vanessa will find anything?"

  Ramirez didn't say anything. Matthew sniffed and began to breath through his mouth. She couldn't see him try to blink his eyes into focus. The Necronomicon grew as it loomed closer. Ramirez rubbed her head again, her headache was starting to go away and for that she was thankful. She looked over her shoulder.

  "Heather? How are things back there?"

  "Gryphon is still asleep. I'm strapping ... myself in, I can't ... seem to stay on ... my feet."

  "It's all right, we'll be home soon."

  The Earth quickly filled the screen and they began to make their final approach. Matthew swallowed and let his fingers fumble around the panel as he searched for the switch on the radio.

  "Necronomicon, this is shuttle Jabberwocky; we are approaching ... uh, we are coming in. Roger?"

  "Jabberwocky this is Meredith, I know we don't dwell on formalities but what was that?"

  "I'm ... sorry, I don't ... I ... feel ...," Matthew coughed out a wet choke and collapsed against the panel, his head sending a light spray of sweat into the air as it struck the cool plastic.

  Ramirez heard the console beep as random commands were entered and the ship suddenly shot downward. The view before her began to spin as the pain in her head returned with full force. Lights flashed and the whole cockpit quickly glowed a dull red as warning beeps started to fill her pounding ears.

  "Matthew! MATTHEW! I can't fly this thing! Wake up!"

  The clouds in the upper atmosphere were coming up at a frightening pace. The aura around the ship began to burn a fiery gold as they plummeted downward to Ramirez's shrilling scream.

-     -     -

  Corporal Newman listened to his radio equipment as he continued to spy on what he was ordered to spy on. His heart began to beat as he heard something he knew would be of interest to his commanding officer. He looked up to his radar screen and began to smile.

  "Major Brothers?"

  "What is it Corporal?"

  "I think I may have something here sir."

  Major Brothers bent over his Corporal's console and squinted at the images he listened to the playback. He stood up and nodded with a smile.

  "Call the General."

-     -     -

  Meredith laughed as she looked at George lean against the panel next to her console. He had his leg bent and foot on the wall in that way she found really attractive.

  "You're nuts! The San Diego Chargers have gone undefeated for the past three seasons George, you'll be throwing your money away."

  "I can't help it. I've got a feeling my Saints will take it all the way."

  Meredith shook her head.

  "All right, you're on. One thousand new yen on the better season. What makes you a Saint's fan anyway? Shouldn't you root for a Texas team?"

  "I'm a Ditka fan, if it can't be the Bears than it has to be the Saints."

  "Who?"

  "Mike Ditka, the greatest coach in NFL history! Brought a broken down New Orleans suck-squad to three consecutive Super Bowl appearances with two wins in just four years."

  "Sorry, before our time. It just doesn't ring a bell."

  "Well, I have a good vibe this season."

  The speakers at Meredith's station began to crackle softly.

  "Necronomicon, this is shuttle Jabberwocky; we are approaching ... uh, we are coming in, Roger?"

  Meredith smiled as she heard Matthew's voice return.

  "Hold that thought George." She turned on a switch and spoke into the computer. "Jabberwocky this is Meredith, I know we don't dwell on formalities but what was that?"

  "I'm ... sorry, I don't ... I ... feel ..." Meredith heard Matthew begin to gag. George stood behind her in concern. There was a crash and she heard Ramirez yell something just as the transmission cut out.

  "Jabberwocky come in, Jabberwocky! MATTHEW!" Meredith stood up and spun around, George quickly moving out of her way. "Captain!"

  "What is it?"

  "Something's wrong with the Jabberwocky sir, their transmission just cut out."

  The Captain turned to Robert who was frantically bringing up sensor readings on his panel.

  "Oh Jesus sir, their out of control and barreling towards the surface."

  "Prepare to bring us into the atmosphere, we're going after them."

  George jumped forward.

  "Sir, without full engines we won't be able to maintain altitude; we can't go down there."

  Robert looked up, his eyes wide.

  "Oh shit, he's right. Do we have any other shuttles that can go down there?"

  George shook his head.

  "Just the Jabberwocky, the others are attack fighters."

  The Captain clenched his fists in frustrated impotence.

  "FUCK!"

  The screen shifted to show their descent, the ship leaving a blazing orange trail as it fell.

  "RAMIREZ!"

  "Karen, where is it going to land?"

  "They'll crash somewhere in Northwestern Texas." A few lights blinked near the Utah border and Karen winced as she saw them. "Captain, the military is already sending ships to intercept."

  "That didn't take long."

  "George."

  "Yes sir?"

  "Get me the mining colony again, tell them I have another favor to ask their Executor."

-     -     -

  Alarms continued to flash as the Jabberwocky broke through the clouds. The Texas sun bathed the barren ground below a healthy dark brown that was screaming it's way toward them. There were no homes or farms dotting the landscape, there weren't trees of any kind, just the red dust that spiraled ever closer.

  Ramirez pressed random buttons in an effort to calm the panic that gripped her. She let out one last yell as the maddening vision consumed her and she succumbed to unconsciousness.

  When the Jabberwocky hit the ground the sound was incredible. The boom could be heard from miles away although no one was there to take note. It skidded through the dirt at blazing speed before hitting a small boulder that sent it into a tumble. It flipped a number of times, slowing it's frantic movement, until it collided with a large stone outcropping, bringing it to an abrupt halt with sickening crunch, it's belly exposed to the afternoon sun in a huge cloud of dust and fumes.

  Ramirez tried to open her eyes. Her neck was stiff and she knew by the feeling in her stomach that she was upside down. Dust was filtering through the broken window that had shattered in front of her. She raised a bruised arm to her restraints and released them, sliding out of her seat and collapsing to the ceiling below her.

  She coughed as she glanced around with squinted eyes. It was fairly dark and the computer console was flickering as power tried to illuminate the controls.

  "Matthew?"

  She stood up on unsteady feet and shook his unmoving form. One arm was dangling loosely and it shivered as she touched him.

  "Matthew, wake up!"

  She gave him one last push and the light force of it turned his face towards her. His eyes were open wide and glazed over with a whitening film, his mouth slightly ajar and unbreathing.

  "Matthew ... no..."

  Ramirez looked up and found that a jagged piece of the column they had crashed into had speared it's way through the hull. It had impaled him just above his stomach, tearing apart his restraints and pinning him to his seat. A thin river of blood poured down his chest and along one side of his head where it dripped away, collecting into a dark puddle on the ceiling. She put two of her fingers to his neck and waited for a faint sign of life with eyes clenched shut.

  Ramirez wasn't a religious woman, but she had been raised Catholic and held some of the old customs as sacred. She took her fingers away from his neck and waved them delicately across his face, closing his eyes. She kissed his forehead and said a silent prayer, before looking at him again.

  "Vaya con Dios Mateo."

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