Subdivisions

Ezekiel's feet shuffled lazily across the floor, as they approached the entrance to the food courtyard. He had remembered his hunger after his conversation with the other men, and since it had not left him. The pangs of stabbing pain radiated from his lower abdomen, and cried out for satisfaction. His hopes rested on the idea that the food courtyard had remained intact during the crash, and that he would soon be relieved of his famishing. But of course the courts would be open. They were always open, even during war quarters; even if no one went there.

Slipping around the corner in a soft silence, Ezekiel Made note of the invariable changes that the courtyard had undergone. Uprooted trees of smaller stature lied on their sides, while bulkier plants remained stationary with lost limbs. Unbolted tables were scattered about, and along with them, people. Just as in the firing range, the smell of death and various other disgusts shocked the air with their tainted taste, and were it not on account of his stomach being already empty, Ezekiel would have had no chance at holding back another round of vomiting. Semiconscious and immobile figures braced themselves on whatever they could find, or merely lie on the floor helplessly. As well, the usually open Electron field ceiling was now replaced by a roof of solid metal that had apparently automatically slid into place at some point. Driven by courtesy at the sight of a woman lying on her side some feet away, he at once bent down to help her to a sitting position. wrapping his arms beneath her shoulders, he forced himself to drag her across the floor to a nearby fallen tree, leaning her gently against the trunk. She said nothing to him, but only stared with a glazed-over complexion at him while he spoke soothingly to her.

"Are you alright ma'am?" He began. The seemingly useless question had now seemed to gain in itself a sort of calming sensation in his heart. The women shook her head without a word, and clutched at her stomach in obvious suffering.

"Are you hungry?" Ezekiel assumed the question by her actions. He found that it was somehow easier to understand people when they were not speaking. Seemingly assured by his understanding, the woman tried at a smile, and nodded in affirmation. Keeping the optimism alive, Ezekiel returned the grin.

With discernible effort, he stood himself to his feet, and gazed about for the nearest food vendor. His eyes came to rest nearby on good-sized hole in the wall vendor, the sign of which had been lost and was now probably somewhere about the courtyard. Almost unable to control his legs from their aching, Ezekiel stumbled towards a small horizontal counter that partially hid the figure of a man leaning against its back. Using the counter as a crutch, Ezekiel spoke up to the man in an almost pleading, and frankly embarrassing tone.

"Sir, may we please have something. I don't care what it is right now, my friend and I are very hungry, and need food very badly." He asked the back of the man's head. There was no response. This time, Ezekiel spoke louder. "Sir please, my friend is very hurt and she needs food."

The man still did not turn around, and at once Ezekiel worried. Was he hurt too? Not wasting any time to ponder the question, Ezekiel looked about himself to make sure he wasn't being watched, and with a cry of pain from his legs, climbed over the counter to kneel next to the man. He placed a hand on the shoulder of the food vendor, and shook him harshly. "Wake up sir. We need to get some food for people out here." There was still no answer from the unconscious man, who had been completely unstirred by the forced rattling. Funny, he did not smell of death. He concluded that the man must be in so deep an unconsciousness that there was no use in trying to wake him. Ezekiel stood up, and turned about himself. Maybe he would be able to get some food from the back. It was highly illegal and was punishable with an extreme credit penalty, but the woman was hungry, and so was he. For the essence of time, Ezekiel searched for something among the drawers and pantries of food that he did not think would need to be cooked.

A feeling of overwhelming stupidity came over Ezekiel as his eyes fell upon a very large sign labeled 'breads' that was bolted to the door of an even larger pantry. With purpose in mind, he swung open the heavy metal door, and retrieved from within the first mass that resembled bread that he laid his eyes upon. The loaf seemed plenty large enough to feed them both, and without a further search, Ezekiel made his way back to the front counter. He paused, and for a moment observed the figure of the vendor lying against the counter. Perhaps he would need food as well when he awoke? In light heart, Ezekiel unwrapped a section of the loaf, and broke from the bread a small piece, then placing it at his feet. The bread beneath the crust was rather soft, he realized, and would not crumble in the hands.

Again hurdling the counter like a drunken man, Ezekiel returned to the tree by which he had left the woman lying, and was pleased to see that she had not moved. She greeted him with another attempted smile, but could not seem to gather the strength to put her heart into the action. Kneeling down beside her, he took the bread, and with a subtle crackling noise, broke the loaf into two halves. He nodded to her, and placed the hunk of bread into her lap, a forced smile coming to his face as well. He had not noticed at first the left side of her face, which now appeared battered and bruised from the crash, a healed gash running from her jaw down across the side of her neck. Apparently she was not aware of the bruising, as she made little effort to shield his eyes from the marks. It was also now that Ezekiel realized that she was very beautiful, for a Terran woman, as he assumed her to be. It was against Ilearsian unspoken law to find beauty outside of his people, but here, he felt it could not be helped. Perhaps it may have been the trauma of the situation driving him to madness, he thought momentarily, but denied the words. Even as she took the bread and ate it she smiled with thanks to him, a refreshing smile that provoked in him a sense of accomplishment. Suddenly, she surprised him, as in a soft and barely audible voice, she spoke up to him.

"What kind of bread is this?" She asked quietly. Ezekiel thought he had misheard her. He had not even thought the question was relevant. Bread was bread, and she was eating it, wasn't she?

"I honestly do not know, ma'am." He answered in confusion. "Does it matter? Do you have an allergic reaction?"

She shook her head softly, and spoke with a velvet tone. "No, I don't have an allergy. I just thought it tasted like Shaw bread. It's a kind that comes from Equis people. I ate it with everything when I was a kid."

"You're an Equestrian, Ma'am?" He prompted. He never would have guessed. Though people from the Equis system usually never looked like one race entirely, he could have been sure she was Terran.

"Yes. And please stop calling me ma'am. My name is Dagny." She replied. She seemed to be gaining strength with every bite she took from the bread. "And may I ask you name?"

Stunned by the question put back on him, Ezekiel fumbled his thoughts. "I am Ezekiel Fautvic of the Levah Tribe of Malachi."

She too seemed at once taken aback, but hid the expression promptly. "That's a bit of a mouthful, Isn't it? Can I just say Ezekiel?" She took another bite of the bread. He felt himself almost entranced by her now. Was she doing this on purpose? He was contemplating an answer, when the sound of the speakers shattered his concentration.

"All crew respond. Emergency Evacuation of all decks ordered through port-starboard emergency exit. Again I say all crew respond to being called for Evacuation." The voice from behind the speaker filled the room with the order, And Ezekiel at once stood. The command puzzled him, as looking about himself, he could not come to imagine how all crew members would be able to exit the ship through the emergency exit, as many still lie about the floor incapable of movement on their own. Surely there would be rescue teams coming like the comm. had said after the crash those many hours ago. And where would they go? He had seen the blizzard outside of the very exit they spoke of. Many would freeze to death outside of the ship, and without food, they would not last for very much longer.

He was interrupted from his thoughts, as the speaker sounded yet again. "All crew, Be advised that you will be allotted one hour to report to the emergency exit. It is commanded that all weapons and specialized armor be left aboard the ship, and screening for weapons will occur at the exit by armed officers. Repeat, you have one hour to report or else face extreme consequence."

A slow draining of Ezekiel's face came with his slowness to realize the situation. From where he was, he would have to leave at that moment if he were to make it to the described exit in time. His eyes came to rest on Dagny, who had closed her eyes, and was now again resting against the trunk of the fallen tree. He could not let her face whatever 'extreme consequence' that they spoke of. He kneeled to her again, and strongly gripped her hand.

"Come on, we have to go to the meeting point." He enunciated. She opened her eyes slowly, and gave him a skeptical stare. She had opened her mouth to speak, but Ezekiel would have no time for it. Helping her by her hand, he raised her too meet him at her feet, and held her steady as she obtained her balance. She stood steadily, but he feared for the weakness she still seemed stricken with from the crash. He made a kind observation.

"Would you like me to walk with you to the exit? You do not look strong enough to walk on your own." He said. She retained her skeptical glare, and shook free his hand hotly.

"I'm fine to walk by myself, Ezekiel." She almost whispered, her tone contradicting her actions. With an obvious effort she took her first steps forward, then gradually gained pace in her strides until she had completed the trek across the courtyard to the hall.

Unwilling to pause to investigate what he had said wrong, Ezekiel shook his head in confusion, and followed the direction she had gone. He would have to make it to the meeting point within the hour. Though, a subtle murmur within his head could not shake free his concern for the others he knew to be lying about on the floor behind him. He ignored the voice; they would have to find their own way.