"Clear," Aaen said determinedly.
"Away team: two-by-two box formation. Aaen and Sensors, you two take the lead. Communications and I will bring up the rear." Jensen took position ten feet behind Aaen.
Too reserved. Aaen decided.
"Lieutenant Commander, is that energy reading still showing up on your scanner?"
"Affirmative. However, scanner readings are becoming increasingly distorted."
"Distorted? Whadayou mean by that?" said Communications.
"Still think we're dealing with the Borg?" Sensors asked. The question's intended recipient was obvious.
Communications looked at Sensors. "Maybe!"
"Relax!" Jensen said. "My scanner's being interfered with, somehow. Odyssey, are you picking anything up?"
"Roger that, away team." the First Officer said. "There's definitely one or more contacts on sensors near where you're at, but we're not getting a complete reading. The reading's starting to fade in and out."
"The reading's fading?" Sensors said.
"Affirmative." the First Officer replied.
"Can you give us an—" Jensen said.
"Did you hear that?" Aaen asked, looking up.
"Yeah! I heard it, too!" Jensen said.
"—WHAT WAS THAT?" Sensors said.
"They're coming!" Communications said.
"Sounded like a bulkhead collapsed," Aaen said.
"It would take a lot of force to collapse one of these bulkheads, Aaen," Jensen said.
"I know. I paid attention in the first year."
"Away team: report!" said the Captain.
"Just heard a noise, sir. A freaking loud one, at that!" Aaen replied.
"Lieutenant Commander Jensen?" the Captain asked.
"Something's definitely not right, Captain."
"The Starbase's crew are most likely in designated shelter areas. Let's get to a panel. Maybe the scanner can interface with the main computer so we can figure out what the heck is going on. I have a gut feeling getting to either mission ops, or engineering isn't going to be a simple walk in the park in space suits. I'd be willing to get that the designated shelter areas have been turned into defense perimeters." Aaen said.
"You're sure there aren't Borg on the Starbase, Aaen?" said Communications.
"If there are, there sure aren't many of them. . .yet."
"That's reassuring." Communications said sarcastically. Aaen grinned, briefly. No. I don't think we're not dealing with the Borg. . . . I think we're dealing with is a—
"I heard it again!" Aaen said. "It was much louder, this time."
"Me, too!" Jensen said.
"So did I!" said Sensors.
"Odyssey?" Aaen asked.
"The reading is getting closer to you, away team. Proceed with caution!" said the Captain.
"How close is 'closer'?" Aaen asked.
"The last reading was within twenty meters of your position, away team!"
TWENTY METERS! Aaen's focus was briefly disturbed. He reinforced his grip on his rifle, inching his trigger finger into the trigger pool.
"Stay calm. We're closer to mission ops. Let's get there as quickly as possible." Jensen said.
"Lieutenant Commander, what are the odds that our communications with Odyssey are being monitored?" Aaen asked.
"Good question. I dunno."
"Aaen to Odyssey, request permission to terminate comm-link temporarily."
"Are you nuts?" the Captain asked.
"If the comm-line is being monitored by the source of the energy reading, then—" Aaen said.
"—LOOK!" said Sensors, hip-firing one shot down the corridor. Aaen snapped, trained his rifle on the far left corner of the corridor.
"WHAT?" Jensen said, snapping forward.
"Did you see that?" Aaen asked.
"What?" the Captain asked.
"Lieutenant Commander, did you see that just now?" Aaen asked.
"I saw it, too!" said Sensors.
"What did you see?" Jensen asked. Aaen assumed Jensen was talking to him as the next most senior officer on the away team, so he quickly responded.
"Whatever that was, it's not human."
"Borg?" the First Officer asked.
"I only got a glimpse of the contact's shadow. It might have been." Aaen replied.
"It looked like some kind of alien, but I didn't recognize it. It was wearing all-dark clothing."
"Yeah, that rules out Borg," Aaen said, somewhat sarcastically.
"Odyssey, do we continue?" Aaen asked.
"Yes. Proceed, away team."
"There's that sound again!" said Sensors.
"Yeah. If that thing's the cause of the sound, then what the heck is it doing?" Aaen asked.
"Why don't you go and ask it?" said Communications.
"We're not splitting up. Continue down the corridor. The end of the corridor is only another twenty meters or so. We're almost there." said Jensen.
I'm not worried. Aaen thought.
"Odyssey to away team, the energy reading is now within ten meters of your location!" said the First Officer.
"We're being stalked!" said Sensors.
"Lieutenant Commander, we're about ten meters from the end of the corridor." The away team slowed to a crawling pace. Weapon light sights glared against the way ahead. "What's the fastest way to get to mission ops from this junction?" Aaen asked, his sternum felt like it was getting heavier. Keep it together. Aaen thought.
"More ladder climbing. We need to take a right and then breach into a turboshaft. The turboshaft will offer a more direct route. We should get to mission ops in about ten minutes if we maintain a steady pace."
"Whadoyou mean by, 'steady pace'," said Communications.
"Since artificial gravity's offline, we could just float through the turbo shaft. We could be at mission ops in five minutes or less."
"Let's hope artificial gravity stays offline for a little while longer," Aaen said.
"Agreed," Jensen said.
"Wait. If artificial gravity's offline, then how would the designated shelter areas be able to form a defense perimeter?" Sensors asked.
"There are enough spacesuits on board for the entire crew. Non-essential personnel—such as the crew's families—would have been evacuated by escape pods and shuttles in the event of an emergency." Aaen replied.
"What if they couldn't evacuate in time?" said Communications.
"Then they're locked down in crew quarters," Aaen said, quickly peeking around the corner to the right. Aaen gasped before speaking again. "Good part is: I'm not seeing any drones on the right. Sensors?"
"Um. . . .no. Not seeing anything down the left corridor."
No drones. Good. Aaen thought.
"Everyone stay focused. Something doesn't feel right." Aaen said.
"Whadoyou mean?" Jensen said.
"This was way too easy," Aaen said.
"You're not afraid of the dark, are you, Aaen?" Sensors said.
"Afraid—of the dark? You're kidding?"
"There was a little hesitation in your voice."
"Not hesitation. . . . What you heard, was excitement."
"Excited for what?" Jensen asked.
"DID YOU SEE THAT?" Communications said.
"I saw it!" Sensors said.
"What?" Aaen asked, snapping.
"Down there! Down the corridor!" Communications said.
"Borg?" Jensen asked.
"I don't know! My helmet lights only made it barely visible at this distance!"
"Keep your rifle in front of you! Just in case!" Aaen said.
"It looked like it was a biped!" Sensors said.
"It?" Aaen said.
"Like I said: I didn't get a good look at it! It practically flew across the end of the corridor."
"There's that sound again!" said Communications.
"Aaen help me get this door open, now!" Jensen said.
"Yes, sir!" Aaen said, tossing his rifle over his shoulder. The shoulder stock rested against his right hip. The two started inching the twin doors apart. Three inches in two minutes. Not good enough, Aaen thought, six inches at least. C'mon! C'mon! His fingers gradually hurt, and then he started to lose feeling in the first four digits on both hands. Three more inches! Aaen thought, clenching his jaws.
"Sensors, you see that?" Communications asked.
One–more–inch! Aaen thought, pressing against the bottom of the other door with his left foot.
"I see it, too!"
C'MON! . . . . "Finally!" Aaen said, retrieving his rifle, stepping left, training it down the corridor.
"What-in-the-world?" Aaen asked, rhetorically, with lowered eyebrows. A shadowy figure–barely visible–started down the corridor. "Crewman?"
"Whatever it is, it's still coming!" Communications said.
"STOP!" Aaen ordered.
"Wha?. . . ." Sensors asked. "Where'd it go?"
"Away team, get into the turboshaft. Now." Jensen said. "Lieutenant, you're first."
Really? Aaen silently asked disappointingly. He carefully approached the turbo shaft doors, raising his rifle, panning the corners, and then high and low. Clear, so far. Aaen started through the doors.
"HELP!" Communications screamed.
"Jensen!" Sensors said.
"Fire!" Jensen yelled.
Aaen felt weightless, turned around to face the corridor. Particle fire filled the corridor.
"It's in the wall!" Jensen said.
No clean shot. Aaen silently admitted. "Watch your fire! Watch your fire!"
"It's gone!" Sensors said. "You okay?"
"Yeah."
"C'mon, get away from that wall."
"Everyone, hurry!" Aaen said.
"It's over there!" Sensors said.
"Get into the turboshaft!" Jensen said.
Aaen watched, wide-eyed, as something tossed across the corridor hitting Communications and Sensors. WOOAHH! Jensen, get outta the way! I've got no shot! MOVE!
Jensen's compression rifle was seemingly knocked out of his hands, boomeranged against a bulkhead adjacent to the turbo shaft. Jensen suddenly tumbled backward toward the turbo shaft. He reached toward the turbo shaft doors. His faceplate deeply scratched, cracked in two places. Aaen pulled him inside.
"Close the doors!" Jensen ordered.
"Wha—?"
"Now, Lieutenant!"
"Away team, what's going on?" the Captain asked. Particle fire continued, echoing through the comm-line. "Report! Now!"
Jensen held on to the emergency escape ladder on the side of the turboshaft.
They're pinned down over there! Aaen took quick aim at the shadowy figure and started firing. A spherical bolt of concentrated particle energy shot from his rifle. "Odyssey, I'm giving Sensors and Communications cover so they can fall back. They're pinned down by the intruder!"
"C'mon!" Sensors said to Communications. "Look out! We need to fall back!"
"Lieutenant, close those doors! Now!" Jensen said. Aaen lowered his rifle. The shadow overlapped the rest of the away team. Aaen complied. The doors caved in
"Did you hit the intruder?" the First Officer asked.
"Unknown, sir."
"Sensors and Communications, report!" said the Captain.
"Trying to get to a. . . ." rifle fire continued to echo, "a nearby Jeffries tube. Keep shooting!"
Communications broke down, "It's getting closer! HEEEELP!"
"What is it?" the Captain asked.
"Close the hatch! Close the hatch!" Communications cried. More particle fire shot down the corridor; sparks shot from the impacts from nearby bulkhead panels.
The turboshaft doors screamed and groaned from sudden pressure.
"Captain!–Something just smashed the turbo lift doors. They're domed inward."
"What?" the First Officer asked.
"Away team, sound off!" Jensen said.
*****
Steve H. told Jordan Foutin, "You are the next Tom Clancy. You really are a gifted writer."
DANIEL STORM, a Jordan Foutin eBook, is available for $8.99 at any of these fine online retailers:
Make sure to buy your copy today, and like and share!
Make sure to like the official StormTeam Simulations Facebook page for the latest, including when DANIEL STORM will be available on Amazon.com for Kindle eBook and softcover! Coming soon!
