At times Lois would feel an utter sense of dread. It had started when Tara had gone missing. The dread attacks would strike without warning and while they lasted she was sure that Tara, her poor daughter was dead, they left her dazed and unable to think.
Landing the shuttle was the worse possible time for such an attack. Even as Lois guided the small spacecraft down to the jungle covered planet, even as she looked for a clearling large enough to touch down in, she suddenly felt like crying.
She could almost picture her daughter's body lying on a grassy slope, almost see the red stain of blood against the rock that had bashed her head in and she could almost hear the roar of the giant ape-like beast thumping its chest in frustration in the storm. Lois knew these mental images weren't based in reality in anyway - they were just a mother's fear - but even as she struggled with the thrusters of the shuttle she simply couldn't get them to leave her head.
"Well done!", Gwen hugged her from behind. "We're safely down!"
Lois blinked. She had touched down. She nodded to Gwen and then pushed up from the seat. I've got to pull myself together, she thought, I need to be the strong one here.
The doors to the shuttle opened in response to Ralph punching a few buttons on the console.
"Phew," said her son. "Hot!" |