Disclaimer: The concept of and all characters from Space: Above and Beyond belong to Glen Morgan and James Wong, Fox Broadcasting and Hard Eight Productions. I'm just borrowing them. No money was made from this, and this was done totally for fun.

Feedback: Any and all comments are welcome.

Blurb: Cooper takes a walk

HALLWAYS
by
Susan

Cooper stood in an empty, barely lit corridor and started to walk down the long hallway towards brighter lights. There was no noise, not even the soft sounds of the Saratoga as it moved through the blackness of space. The corridor came to an end and he had a choice to make, left or right.

To the left there was little light and another long hallway but he recognised the path, the doors, and where it would lead him.

To the right the lit corridor ended with a door that he'd never seen. And, he was sure he knew all of the Saratoga, having run the decks when he couldn't sleep. As he stood there staring at the door, it slowly swung open. Everything was still unnaturally quiet as he looked inside the room. The lights were dimmed but there was enough light that he could just make out several invitro gestation tanks. The closest to the door stood vacant, the numbers and ID codes on the display identifying it as the tank he would have come out of. The next closest held a female; the display turned off. Katie. His sister that would never be born. There were other tanks, but Cooper closed his eyes and turned away from the open door.

He made his decision and turned left down the dim hallway, knowing what he would find when he made the next right. Home. The 5-8. His family.

The shrill of the klaxon woke Cooper from the deep slumber he'd been in. He sat up and ran his hands over has face and through his hair. "And invitroes don't dream," he muttered, standing and stretching. "Yeah, like to meet the geek that said that."

"You say something, Coop?"

"Nah, just looking forward to flying today," he answered, grinning at Nathan. He might not have a family by blood, and the 5-8 might have been thrown together at bootcamp, but they had become a family. His family. And, that was better than any dream.

- end -


© Susan October 2005