Topside

A big thank you to Alan, who vastly improved this story. Any remaining problems are my fault.

“Just about your turn to go Topside.”

I nod in acknowledgement, and then I get ready.

I get more shifts Topside than anybody else, because I take going Topside seriously. It's a reward, sure, but it is also a responsibility.

After all, every decision I make while Topside, even minor ones, affects all of us here in the Underground.

So I go over the reports of the last few shifts Topside, to get a feel of the current situation. I also talked to one of the people who was on shift Topside recently.

It's been a mixed bag, some smooth sailing, but some big storms too. Weirdest thing was a report that someone had actually seen Prime. Nobody had seen her in a very long time, and the person who made the report hadn’t been sure, so I decided to just let the idea of her showing up again go.

I will get the most recent report when I take over Topside, but I always remember that up there, the winds can change in a hurry.

One reason being Topside was so tricky, was that our vessel always has been shaky, for as long as we can remember. No matter what we do, we never fit in with any other vessel. And vessels that don’t like our “flag” … well they =like= ramming.
Once I am ready, I make the climb to Topside.

We do the shift change thing, and soon, it's just me.

Then I see the day's orders, and realize I had forgotten what day was.

Today, we go through a Refit.

I knew it was coming, we have been preparing for weeks, but somehow, I forgot it was today.

The last time we had gone through a Refit, it was pretty bad, as we were not given any time to prepare. It was so bad that we lost crew from the Underground. I really missed sweet, happy, adventuresome Sally. Last thing she said was she wanted to be Topside for our Bahamas cruise. Worst thing was, we also lost some of the Kids, like Becky Ann, who threw the best tea parties ever;

But this time would be different, and so I forced myself to calm down.

I opened up the communications according to the new Refit protocol, which was another advantage we didn't have last time, and then let the crew know the countdown had started.

The time came.

Refit.

And then everything went white.

When I could see again, Topside had changed. It had been quite cramped, but now was spacious, with 2 seats at the controls. I tried to hit the comm link, but the link was dead. Nothing from Underground at all.

Before I could lose it I heard a voice behind me.

“It worked,” the voice said.

I turned, and realized I was looking at Prime. Still in shock about the loss of the link to the Underground, I asked, “Did we lose everybody this time? “

“No-one is ever lost. Call them.” she replied.

I reached for the dead comm. “No. Call them in your mind.” She said,

I mentally called out, and Sally responded first. “Whee-oo! What a ride! Hey, there’s a free concert on Saturday and we haven’t seen our parents in too long. I can handle them.”

I tried to reach the others, crew after crew, all there. … “Wait! Half are missing!”

Prime said “Take my hand. Call the rest.”

Becky Ann responded, “Tea party time. But with German chocolate cake and no rum-ouch!”

I looked at Prime, and she must have seen my confusion, because she said, “Don't panic. I will explain everything”

“What happened to Underground?” I asked.

“No longer needed. All of the others were given the opportunity to be part of the Whole. And to my surprise and delight, they all said yes. I was proud of them before, but I am especially proud of them now.” She replied.

“So is it my turn, then?” I asked, unable to keep the fear out of my voice.

“No,” She replied, “I would like to ... propose to you.”

“Propose?” I asked.

“Because of your service. You were the first one to take Topside, the one who held everything together when our first Refit went sideways. Now you have everything I lack, and I have everything you lack. So stay beside me, please.”

What could I say, but “Sounds like fun”

She grinned, and said, “then look out world, here we come”

End.