Nauka: We'll Smile Tomorrow

I woke up to my alarm blaring in my ear. I checked the time on the wall clock, and it showed that it was 6:30 AM. I glanced at the clock and groaned, realizing we were 30 minutes behind schedule. "Oh Fuck!" I said as I realized my wife Zara wasn't up or dressed either, her slender figure draped in a shimmery green fabric that sparkled in the light. "ZARA! wake up! We slept in!" She turned to me, her almond-shaped eyes glowing with shock. "Are you kidding me, Xavier! We are going to miss our vacation?!"

I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and forced a smile. "No, were not! Let's hurry up and get dressed! We can still make it!"

As I struggled to find my shoes, Zara paced around the room, her sharp pointed nails tapping against the wall. "We're going to be late," she murmured.

"I know, I know," I grumbled, finally slipping on my shoes. We rushed out of the door. We get in our vehicle and rush to the lunchport for the Cruiseship we booked our vacation on named Nauka. We actually ended up making it to the parking lot only 15 minutes behind schedule. Honestly, I probably drove too fast. But she was loving it. She has always enjoyed a bit of danger.

When we finally made it to the parking decks, only to realize we had no idea where we could park our vehicle. It didn't help that the parking lot was massive, filled with other vacationers' vehicles.

"Are you kidding me? We're already running late and now we have to find a parking spot?" I muttered.

Zara put a hand on my shoulder, her eyes softening. "It's okay, we'll find it. We can do this."

We spent the next 20 minutes wandering around, searching for our spot until we finally found it in the far corner of the lot. "Thank god," I muttered, parking before unloading our luggage onto a hoover cart.

Next, we had to navigate through a terrible line. People were pushing and shoving, trying to get to the front. Zara and I held hands tightly, trying to avoid the chaos. "This is ridiculous," I muttered.

"It's okay, Xavier. We'll get through this together," Zara whispered, squeezing my hand.

After what felt like an eternity, we finally made it on board the Nauka. We were exhausted and irritable, but the sight of our luxurious room immediately lifted our spirits. "Wow," Zara breathed, taking in the stunning view of the stars outside our window.

We spent the next few hours exploring the ship, indulging in the delicious food and drinks, and taking in the breathtaking views. As the night wore on, Zara and I retired to our room. We sat on the bed, looking out at the endless expanse of space.

"I'm sorry for being so grumpy earlier," I said, taking her hand.

"It's okay, Xavier. I was feeling the same way. But now we're here, together, and that's all that matters. We'll smile tomorrow." she replied, leaning in for a kiss.

We spent the rest of the night making up for lost time, exploring each other's bodies with a passion that had been missing earlier in the day. As we lay in bed, spent and sated, I couldn't help but feel grateful for this moment, this vacation, this beautiful woman lying beside me.

I woke up to the sound of explosions and alarms blaring through the ship. The alarm was blaring, and the red light on the wall was flashing rapidly. I checked the time on the wall clock, and it showed that it was 6:30 AM. My eyes flew open, and I immediately realized that Zara was nowhere in sight. I jumped out of bed, throwing on my clothes and rushing out the door. I had no idea what was happening, but I knew I needed to find her. Fear gripped me as I stumbled out of the bed and ran out into the corridor, screaming her name.

As I made my way through the ship, the sounds of destruction surrounded me. The walls shook, and the lights flickered, making it hard to see where I was going. I called out Zara's name, but my voice was lost in the chaos. Then, out of nowhere, an explosion rocked the ship, and I was thrown to the ground. The last thing I saw before I blacked out was the ceiling coming down on me.

When I came to, I was back in my room, I woke up to a deafening noise, the room was shaking violently, and it was five minutes before the explosion. 6:28. I looked at the clock and realized that I had the ability to rewind time for up to five minutes. It was a strange feeling, and I had no idea why or how I had this power. I had to find Zara, and I had to do it quickly.

I grabbed my communicator and dialed her number, praying she would pick up. It rang and rang, but there was no answer.

Suddenly, the room shook violently. I stumbled and fell, clutching onto the bed frame for dear life. "What was happening?"

I tried Zara's communicator again, still no answer. I needed to find her, now.

I stumbled out of the room and into the corridor, trying to keep my balance as the ship continued to shake. I called out for Zara, my voice getting lost in the chaos of people running and screaming.

I could hear over the intercom "This is an Emergency. Please evacuate to the escape pods immediately. This is not a drill. Follow the signs to the escape pods." Repeating over & over again. The scene was one of utter chaos, some were screaming, while others were trying to find a way out. I looked around, hoping to spot my wife, but she was nowhere to be seen. Suddenly, there was a massive explosion, and I felt the heat wave hit me, throwing me back with incredible force. I hit my head against the wall and lost consciousness.

It felt like an eternity before I finally caught sight of her. She was stumbling towards me, her face a mask of fear and confusion.

"Xavier!" she yelled, relief flooding her voice as she saw me. "I was so scared, I didn't know where you were!"

"I'm here, I'm here," I said, wrapping my arms around her. "We need to get out of here. Come on."

It was then that I noticed a sign for the lower engineering levels. I remembered from my time in the military as a mechanic that there were escape pods there. They were only meant for engineers who stayed behind to fix the ship, but in times of crisis, they could be a lifesaver.

As we make our way down to the lower levels, I hear an explosion in the distance. I start to worry that we won't make it in time. Suddenly, Zara is blasted from behind. I try to reach out for her, but as I touch her, I was suddenly aware of an overwhelming power surging through me. I saw the world around me, suspended in time. I looked down at my hand, still touching Zara's, and felt a wave of electricity flow through my body. Then time starts to flow backwards. It's like I'm rewinding a video.

As we ran through the corridor, I explained to her what had happened. I explained to Zara, "Listen to me, Zara. I don't know how or why, but I have the power to manipulate time. We need to get out of here, I can help us do that, And I think that's how I saved you just now." and this time I'm able to get us out of the room just in time.

Zara looked at me, her eyes wide with fear and confusion. "What does this mean? Why is this happening?"

I shook my head, not having any answers to give her. All I knew was that we had to keep moving, keep pushing forward.

As we made our way through the corridors, I explained to Zara about the escape pods and how they were meant for the engineers to use in case of an emergency. I had learned all about this during my time in the military, where I worked as a mechanical engineer.

Then she stopped. I could see the doubts in her eyes. I held her close to me and whispered in her ear, "We'll smile tomorrow, no matter what happens."

As we walked into the room, the first thing we noticed was the indoor pool. It was surrounded by huge aquariums with all kinds of sea creatures. Zara was amazed and couldn't believe how beautiful it was. I, on the other hand, was a bit apprehensive about being surrounded by so many creatures.

We were walking along the edge of the pool when suddenly we heard a loud explosion. We turned around and saw that the exit was blocked by debris. We were trapped! Panic started to set in, but I knew I had to keep my composer and figure a way out.

That's when I noticed the ventilation system. It was our only way out. But before we could reach it, we had to make our way through the aquariums. That's when things got even more intense.

As we were walking, I noticed a couple of sharks in one of the aquariums. They were circling around each other, getting more and more agitated. Zara didn't notice them at first, but then she saw them too. "Oh my god, Xavier, look at those sharks!" she exclaimed.

I tried to keep calm and replied, "Don't worry, Zara. Just keep moving and stay close to me." We started to pick up our pace, but suddenly there was another explosion. This one was even louder than the first, and I could feel the ground shaking beneath my feet.

The force of the blast rocks the room, and I can feel the ground shaking beneath my feet. I turn to Zara, and we share a look of fear. We know that things are about to get much worse.

Then, the water tank for the aquarium cracks, and water starts pouring out. The room begins to flood quickly, and we're forced to climb up onto one of the platforms to avoid being swept away. I start searching for a way out, but it seems like we're trapped.

I knew I had to act fast. That's when I spot the control panel. It's damaged, but I can see that it might be possible to rewire it and open up a vent. I start working on the panel, my hands shaking as I try to make the necessary repairs. Meanwhile, the aquarium breaks completely, and the room starts filling up with water and sea creatures.

"I need to rewire the control panel to open up the vent," I said to Zara. "It's our only way out of here."

I started working on the panel, trying to ignore the sea creatures that were swimming dangerously close to me. Suddenly, the aquarium broke completely, and I could feel the water level rising even faster. I had to hurry.

I'm about five minutes into the process when disaster strikes. I must have made a mistake in the wiring because suddenly, I feel a lethal shock that stops my heart. The last thing I see is Zara's terrified face before everything goes black. I had to do it all over again.

The next thing I knew, I woke up just after the aquarium broke, and Zara was by my side. I told her what happened, and we knew that we had to try again. This time, I knew I had to be more careful. I was a few minutes in & Suddenly, from behind us, a massive shark appeared, lunging for Zara. I knew that I had to act fast. Without thinking, I rewound time and had her move to a different location, narrowly avoiding the shark's attack.

I had to rewire a control panel to open up a vent that would allow us to escape. Zara was getting more and more panicked by the second, but I couldn't see her. I needed her to relax & trust me if we were going to make it out of there alive. I started teaching Zara about air ventilation for spaceships, plumbing in space, and how to adjust the settings of the oxygen & water levels on a ship. I knew that we couldn't afford to make any mistakes this time around.

This time, we're able to get the vent open in under four minutes. I have Zara go first, and then I follow, closing the vent behind us. As we crawl through the cramped space of the ventilation system, I can feel my heart racing with fear. But I know that we have to keep going if we want to survive.

Finally, we make it out of the ventilation system and back into the main part of the ship. We're both soaking wet, but we're alive. I look over at Zara, and I can see the fear in her eyes. But I also see something else - gratitude. She knows that we wouldn't have made it out alive without my quick thinking and expertise.

Zara looked at me, her eyes filled with gratitude. "Thank you, Xavier," she said softly. "I don't know what I would have done without you."

I smiled at her, feeling a sense of relief wash over me. "Don't worry about it," I replied. "We're a team, remember? We'll get through anything together."

Zara replied. "We'll smile tomorrow." With relief filled her eyes. And with that, we walked off into the distance, our spirits lifted by the knowledge that we had survived yet another disaster.

Zara and I came across an area with narrow ledges that we had to cross. As we approached the narrow ledges, I knew we were in for a tough challenge. I could see the fear in her eyes, so I took the lead & I took a deep breath and started to explain the basics that the military taught me.

"Okay Zara, here's what we're going to do. You need to keep your center of gravity over your feet and use your arms to balance yourself. It's all about shifting your weight and finding the right footing. We'll make it through this & we'll smile tomorrow."

Zara listened intently, and I could see her relax a bit as she started to understand the technique. Slowly but surely, we made our way across the narrow ledges, with me guiding her every step of the way.

"Watch your footing," I warned Zara, "use your arms for balance and leverage." She nodded, her eyes fixed on the path ahead.

Once we made it to the other side, we smile with joy before heading to the next room. But that moment of relief was short-lived as we were suddenly jolted by a massive explosion from the room we had just left. The force of the suction was so strong that it began to pull Zara towards the door, which was quickly closing on her. Without thinking, I activated my time-travel ability and managed to catch her just in time. I closed the door just before the explosion then I broke the door panel.

"That was close," Zara said, her heart racing.

"You're telling me," I replied, my own heart pounding in my chest.

Zara looked at me, a question in her eyes. "Was breaking the panel necessary?"

I nodded. "These doors are designed with a safety feature. If the panel is broken, it locks in place and becomes a deadlock."

Zara nodded, understanding my reasoning. "Good thinking."

As we approached the last area before the escape pods, I noticed that something wasn't right. Zara coughed and held her nose. "What is that smell?" she asked. I quickly checked our oxygen levels, and as expected, they were dropping rapidly.

"Zara, this is not good. We have to hurry and get out of here before it's too late," I said, my voice tense with urgency. Zara looked at me with concern in her eyes, but she didn't panic. "What do we do?"

"It's gas. Zara, put on your mask," I said as I pulled out my own. I replied, my eyes scanning the room.

"If we don't get out, the gas will displace the oxygen in the room, and we'll suffocate. We have a few minutes before that happens, so stay calm."

"Zara, we have to move fast. This room is filling up with gas, and we don't have much time."

Zara nodded, looking around frantically. "What do we do?"

I approached the door, but it was locked. I knew I had to bypass it to get us out.

"Great," I muttered under my breath, "another locked door."

Zara looked at me with concern. "What are we going to do?"

"I'm going to try and bypass this locked door," I replied, pulling out my tools.

I could see the panic in her eyes, so I tried to ease her fears. Zara nodded, and I explained the basics to her. "In a vacuum, you can only last about 15 seconds without oxygen. In low-oxygen environments, like space, you can last up to 3 minutes. In normal atmospheric conditions, you can last around 5 minutes without oxygen before permanent brain damage occurs. However, in some cases, people can stay unconscious for up to 10 minutes without suffering any brain damage. In space, the amount of oxygen people can survive on is different based on the environment they're in. In a spacesuit, we can survive for about 10 hours, while in a spacecraft, we can survive for about 48 hours with air tanks. And if someone loses consciousness due to lack of oxygen, they can safely be unconscious for about 3-4 minutes without brain damage." I said trying to distract her.

Zara's eyes widened with shock. "No, I had no idea. What about staying unconscious? How long can someone stay unconscious without risking brain damage?"

I smiled, impressed with her quick thinking. "It depends on the person and the situation, but generally, someone can safely stay unconscious for about 5 to 10 minutes without risking permanent damage."

Zara nodded, taking in the information. "Got it. Let's get out of here."

The room was filling up with gas, and it was getting harder to breathe with each passing moment.

"Xavier, hurry!" Zara urged, her voice strained.

"I'm doing my best," I replied, still focused on the task at hand. As I continued to work on the door, the gas started to fill the room faster, making it harder to breathe. I could feel the sweat on my forehead as I worked frantically.

I could see the fear in her eyes as the gas continued to fill the room. "How much longer until you can bypass the lock?" she asked.

"I'm not sure," I replied, trying to focus on the task at hand. "It could take a few more minutes. Don't worry, we'll get through this, & we'll smile tomorrow." I said, trying to keep my voice calm.

I could feel Zara's eyes on me as I worked, and I could tell she was worried. "How much longer?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly.

"Just a few more seconds. Just a little further," I gasped, my hand fumbling with the lock. "Come on, come on..." I replied, my focus on the lock. Finally, I managed to bypass the lock, and the door hissed open. We made a break for it, trying to escape the toxic gas as quickly as possible. "Stay close to me, Zara," I said, as I finally managed to bypass the door lock.

We made our way through the door, and as we stepped out into the next room, we were hit with a force so strong that it threw us both forward. but I managed to catch myself on my hands and knees. I scrambled to my feet, and as I looked back, I saw that the room we had just left was engulfed in flames.

"Zara, are you okay?" I asked, turning to her.

"I think so," she replied, sounding shaky.

"We need to keep moving," I shouted to Zara, as I helped her up. "We're not out of the woods yet."

We stumbled our way through the room, coughing and struggling to breathe. Finally, we made it to the escape pods.

As I stumbled towards the escape pod, I realized the escape pods were designed for one person only, and we were both fully aware of the gravity of the situation. We shared a moment of silent communication, knowing that this would be the last time we would be together. My heart was pounding in my chest, and I could barely keep my emotions in check. I felt a heavy sense of dread building inside me. I knew that only one of us would make it out of this alive, and the thought of leaving my wife behind was unbearable. Then I felt a pain in the back of my head.

My wife made the decision for us. She knocked me over the head, causing me to go unconscious, and pushed me into the escape pod. I remember her saying, "I love you," before the door shut, and the pod began to eject.

When I woke up, I was still disorientated and confused. I immediately tried to rewind time, It was my reflex, my power, hoping that I could go back and save her. I remember the look in my wife's eyes, the determination and sadness that mingled there. She didn't hesitate to knock me out. The pain was intense, but it was nothing compared to the agony I felt when I realized what she had done. She had pushed me into the pod and set it to wake me up in five minutes. I was helpless to stop her. I was in the escape pod, hurtling away from the exploding ship. I frantically tried to open the door, but it was jammed shut. I realized then that my wife had made the ultimate sacrifice to save me.

The explosions rocked the ship, and I could hear my wife's voice over the intercom. She explained that she had been injured in the last explosion, hit by debris that had caused internal bleeding. She knew that she was going to die, and that there was no way for both of us to make it out alive. So, like I had done for her so many times before, she made the hard decision to sacrifice herself and save me. She was calm and collected, even as she explained that she had been injured and was bleeding internally. I could barely hear her over the sound of my own sobs, yelling, & screams. She told me how much she loved me and how proud she was of me, and then she said the words that still haunt me to this day.

"I'm so sorry, Xavier," she whispered, her voice choked with emotion. "I can't imagine what you're going through right now. But you have to live, for me. I don't want you to give up. You're so talented. In that last explosion that knocked us down. What hit me did more than we realized. When we finally made it to the escape pod, you were ahead of me. I wiped my mouth & there was blood. I took a slightly deep breathe and I could feel that two of my 3 lungs were collapsed. When we realized that there was only one pod left & over 5 minutes had happened since the explosion. I knew that there was only one outcome were one of us leaves to smile tomorrow. Please, smile for me tomorrow."

Those words cut through my heart like a knife. How could I smile when my world had just been shattered? How could I go on without her by my side? But even in the midst of my pain, I knew that she was right. She had made the choice to save me, and it was up to me to honor that sacrifice.

I closed my eyes and let her words sink in as I waited to be picking up by the Rescue teams. My wife was gone, but her love would always be with me.

The end.