Another deleted scene!

[lolotehe]

Evie tromped down the assageway to another section of the ship, checking her watch. Standard stop in two minutes. I have enough time for a little xercise on the way. Not like I could make the passage during that, anyhow.

Doors opened automatically for her, receiving signals broadcast by her walker. She entered the main shaft-way and started across the bridge over the chasm. One minute. It's not going to delay me long. I can spare a couple minutes for this.

In the middle of the bridge, she commanded the walker to grasp the railings. Once that was secured, she uncrossed her legs and moved into a crouch. Thirty seconds.

A rumble and the lights flickered. Evie leapt into zero-gee.



Every twenty-three minutes, this section of the ship stopped its rotation. It was something she had noticed the first trip across; although, when it had happened, she thought the ship was under attack and scrambled for a hold on the railing. Later, she timed it and found it to be a regular occurrence. What a pleasant surprise!

Wasn't this exercise?

Maybe not as much as staggering along the parallel bars, but it was still worthwhile. She had two full minutes to float around and bounce off the walls before she had to be back to the bridge. That was a
mistake she'd made once, and the memory of falling slowly to the ground--and laying there for twenty-three minutes--was not one that would fade easily.

These flights were different in her new body. She didn't have to work one side harder than the other anymore and it was frightening to realize how much she had compensated for it in the past. She turned off the goggles and did a lazy half-twist to turn herself upside down. Her feet would hit the ceiling soon and she could kick off from there.

She touched surface and turned the goggles back on.

Gordon was beneath her, flailing helplessly. He had followed her, the lousy sneak! And what was that in his hands? Some kind of...a cord? A rope? A bit of wire?

He was completely helpless, completely at her mercy. She had ninety seconds to do whatever she wanted...

The kick-off from the ceiling was a little more directed. She shot at him, falcon-like, arms by her sides; she felt like screaming in her attack. She howled.

Gordon whipped his head up and the sudden motion turned him upside down. He couldn't control his own mass.

Evie curled up her legs, stuck out her arms, and re-oriented herself for a full-body, double-footed kick.

And Gordon spun uncontrollably over the railing.

She had transferred all her momentum to him, so she was still over the bridge when the spin and the lights came back on. Gordon started his long decent to the bottom of the shaft-way and Evie crumpled in a heap. Her head throbbed and she staggered to her walker, holding onto the railing.

Yeah, a few minutes of exercise. Ha! More than I had bargained for.

Once back in the walker, she returned the way she had come. I'll deal with the children later.