"I don't know; I can't see it!" Jason whispered loudly.
After many dark fearful gasps, Aaen looked down and right toward the front of the bridge. The Captain stood up and looked over the top of his chair.
"Okay, everyone back to your stations. Now."
The rest of the forward and central bridge crew complied. Aaen was frozen where he was, in the position he was in, which was hardly the most comfortable, considering he had an up step to the medical area of the bridge pressed against his lower back, and the edge of the ventilation cover against the base of his shoulders. His head rested against the edge of the bunk he'd been laying in a minute ago.
"Sensors, help me get Aaen back in his bunk." the Doctor said, crawling out of the bottom bunk where she was hiding opposite.
"That was a good shot, Aaen." Sensors said sincerely and quietly. The Doctor hummed agreement. "You probably wounded the intruder."
Aaen looked at Sensors and managed to nod acknowledgment as Sensors and the Doctor each lifted him under his arms and gradually inched him into his bunk. Aaen managed to turn his head to see the front of the bridge.
"Dimitri! Are you okay?" the Captain yelled at the main viewscreen. "—Dimitri! Hello?"
What the heck? Aaen thought, surprised at the silence from the bridge speakers, and lowering his eyebrows as the Doctor started scanning him again with her tricorder.
"Mmmm. . . ." she hummed. "Level-two particle burns to the upper torso. Eat these and then wait three minutes before getting up." the Doctor patted her orange vial a few times and then handed him two more multi-colored m's, and then replaced the vial.
"Okay, I want a full systems check of all main systems. What's broken, what's not."
"Working on it!" Operations said.
"Mostly everything's working, Captain!" said the Engineer, through the crawlway.
"Okay, Sensors. Have you found the intruder?" the Captain said. Sensors remained silent.
"I'm wondering why, exactly, we can't detect the intruder." said the First Officer.
"I don' know." said the Captain sharply and uncertainly.
"Maybe it's got some kind of jamming device that fools Odyssey's internal sensors?" said Sensors.
"Wouldn't we have detected the jamming signal?" said Operations.
"Communications," the Doctor said calmly. "You can return to your station."
She crawled out of her bunk, and then rushed back to her station.
"See if you can get a message to Command." the Captain said.
"Okay. I'll try." Communications responded.
"Captain! I've got something!" said Sensors.
"What?" the Captain asked sharply, standing behind Sensors.
One minute, Aaen thought.
". . .The intruder is back on Deck Two—moving aft. . . Looks like it's going to the engines!"
"Why would it do that?" the Captain asked, puzzled.
Why don't you go down there and ask it? Aaen thought sarcastically. It could have captured or killed us all by now if it wanted to, but it didn't—therefore, it's obviously looking for something. But what? Aaen wondered.
"Ke–Keptin!" a loud whisper echoed through the bridge.
"Dimitri!" said the First Officer.
"I'm here!" the Captain said, returning to his chair. "What's going on down there!"
"Keptin!—I'm about twenty feet behind the intruder. It's trying to git into de engin' comparltment! We need to find a place to dolck, fest!"
"Why?"
"Because it looks like it's getting ready to vire a bomb to ze main reactor after it breaks in!"
"It's going to blow up the ship with it still on board?" Communications asked.
"I don't understand, either," Dimitri said. "Uh oh!"
"What?"
"It heard me! It's looking right at me! IT'S COMING!"
"Dimitri! RUN!" the First Officer yelled.
"KEPTIIIIN!—"
"COME 'ERE!" a growling voice yelled.
The bridge filled with a blood-curdling scream, and then the sound was replaced with subtle, high-pitched static—and then hard breathing.
The bridge became silent for five seconds—man down, Aaen thought, stiffly, looking at the Captain.
"Captain?" the voice called.
The Captain stepped past his chair, closer to the main viewscreen. "Who are you?" the Captain asked determinedly.
The voice turned to mocking laughter.
"What do you want?" the First Officer asked.
The line filled with static, and then went silent. Great. Aaen thought.
"The intruder disconnected, Captain," said Communications.
Sensors turned towards Aaen with a concerned look, and then looked up at the Doctor standing in front of the bunks opposite Aaen. "Is he dead?"
"No. He's got about another minute left before he can return to his station."
The First Officer gestured for the Captain to listen closely to what he was saying. Aaen couldn't hear, and, judging by the look from Communications, neither could she. The Captain nodded and then turned to the back of the bridge.
"Good, cause we need 'im at his station." said the Captain.
Aaen detected a strong hint of desperation in the Captain's voice.
*****
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:
smashwords.com (Remember to like and share!)
apple iBooks (This link is best viewed on iPhone or iPad)
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!
No comments:
Post a Comment