THE DARKEST SOUNDS
PROLUGE “It is the mid-22nd CENTURY. Mankind has explored the boundaries of his own solar system, and now he reaches out to the endless interstellar distance of the universe. He moves away from his own small planetary systemin huge hyperdrive starship: computer-driven, self-supporting, closed-system spacecraf that travel at mind-staggering post light velocities. Man has begun to spread among the stars. Enormous ships embark with generations of colonists searching the depths of space for new earths, new homes, new beginnings. Far in advance of these colony ships goes a new pioneer: the scouts, the pathfinders, a special breed of man who has dedicated his whole life to blazing the trail through the most greatest distance of all time, unexplored galaxies, opening up the farthest frontiers of space. These are the men of the Advanced Exploration Corps. The task they face is one of unbelievable isolation and loneliness. So far from home that earth is no longer even a point of light in the sky, they must comb the universe for those unstable planets whose existence poses a threat to the peaceful colonists that follow. They must find these rogue planets—and destroy them. Among these commandos are the men of the scout ship DARK SHIP CHAPTER 1
We are moving towards the planet. Floating slowly in front of the planet is the SCOUTSHIP DARK STAR. As we move towards the ship, we begin to hear VOICES crackling with static. (Over radio) “ah, what did you say, Pilar?” (Over radio) “Machin or be groop…” (As Donner tries and sets the radio frequency) “Ah, say that again, I didn’t get that Pilar?” (Over radio) I was saying, I’m trying to reach Mendez. Something just went wrong with this damn intercom. Just need the last reading of the diameter, an approximate one.” (Over radio) “Copy that, I’m on it.” On the ship, on other side, sits Mendez, staring off wide eyed into the space and to the planets and stars. Gazing off into thought. It’s been a while and they have been up there floating for some time since they lef home planet.
Donner was trying to radio out to Mendez and see if there would be any luck on his end, in reaching out to him. Since Parker had no luck, maybe a bad communication in his radio contacts to Mendez.
“Mendez, Mendez, this is Donner. Do you copy, over?” As Donner tries again, getting a bit shaky now and sweaty, his tension is getting to him, he gets nervous easily. And tries again. “Mendez, do you copy, over?” Seems to be a crackle in the radio lines, Donner is getting a good feeling now and believes he may have Mendez on the other line, least he can hope and what he is praying for. Finally, Mendez comes through on the radio, back to Donner. “Donner, yes what is it?” “What seems to be the problem? Everything ok?” “Mendez, I’m glad you finally came through, I need a reading, an approximate reading on the diameter.” “Ok, Donner, give me a few minutes and I’ll have that for you.” Now Brady, Donner, and Pilar are in the control room, they are seated tightly close together, just enough arm and leg room for one another, while they are in there adjusting and making corrections on the coordinates in which there to be headed. There is a panel burned out in which an empty chair sits in front of it as they look over every now and then. Thinking. “I need a GHI reading Donner, on the gravity corrections.” “Ok, I’ll check on that now and get that for you Pilar.” “I have a reduced drive reading of that here, looks about, eight thousand Pilar.” “Sounds good, thanks Brady. That checks out on my end here.” “Pilar, listen.” “Yes Donner, what is it?” “Sir, I’m double checking, and reading you are negative twelve.” “Donner, come in.” “Yes Pilar!” “Get me the readings on all the fail-safe marks.” “Ok, just give me one second sir, I’ll have that for you.”
As Pilar is waiting on Donner to get back on those readings for the fail-safe marks. Pilar radios into Brady on other important needs. “Brady, need you to set me up with some temperature figures, can you get that done?” “Sir are you ready. Ninety-six million, minus seven, corrected to mass critical.” “I read that with a quantum increase of six.” “Pilar, Donner, do you read, over.” “Copy Donner, what do you have for me?” “I have a reading of, eight-six-five-five.” Brady chimes in, very nervously. “Ok Pilar, time to start talking about this.” “Yes, ok well bomb bay systems operational?” Afer Pilar asked if the bomb bay was operational, without any feedback from anyone, Pilar, hits a button on the panel. The screen blacks out for an instant. Suddenly, two enormous doors begin to open ponderously, revealing the planet rotating below them. A HUGE bomb designated with a marking of some sort on its side. Lowers slowly out of the ship on a rack. This is a chain-reaction bomb, otherwise known as an Exponential Thermostellar Devise. Its own destructive power is small, barely enough to vaporize twelve city blocks. However, when it explodes in contact with an object the size of a planet, it’s starts a chain-reaction in the very matter of that planet, turning it into a giant reactor which destroys itself in one staggering thermal flash. These bombs are equipped with sophisticated thought and speech mechanism, to allow them to make executive decisions in the event of a crisis situation. These judgement centers are controlled by a fail-safe mechanism. CHAPTER 2
“Pilar, lock fail-safe.” As Pilar then turns the key. “Good, fail-safe locked. Ah, Sergeant Pilar calling bomber 7. Do you read me?” The bomb waits under the ship for orders, suspended and waiting on its orders. Pilar finally calls in his orders as he had turned the key. The bomb speaks, but not the way you would think of a robot would, thou as another human being, in which it was programmed as well the same to be detonated by another human being. “Well, bomb, we don’t have much time, we have about sixty seconds to drop. Just wondering if everything is all right? Have you checked your platinum iridium energy shielding?”
“Energy shielding positive function.” “Swell. Let’s synchronize detonation time. Do you have when about, your to be going off?” “Determination timing is in, sixty minutes-twenty seconds.” “Ok, I’m looking at a detonation timing of, wait a second, something wrong with this clock here, Bangs on the panel a couple times. “All right now, I have the time of detonation, no wait, that can’t be right, it says two years. Beats the panel again Okay, now I have it, six minutes exactly. Does that check out down there?” “checks out in six minutes, yes” “OK great, arm yourself now bomb 7.” Lights start to blip on and flicker on, afer given orders from Sergeant Pilar. “Armed sir.” “Ok then, seems that everything is fine. Going to drop you off in about thirty-five seconds. Best of luck to you.” “Thank you. Sir.” “Let’s begin main sequence. Mark it at 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1-dropping.” Bomb 7 drops away from the ship, dropping far from the ship. Descending down to the planet below and to cause a great disturbance. A final goodbye to bomb 7, it has said its last words and thou it is not human, it had the same intelligence as one. The same thoughts as one, the same feelings as one. Thou it was programmed originally to do one thing, and one thing only. To destroy. Donner comes back in to reply to Sergeant Pilar, of orders in what to do next, afer bomb 7 has been decent. “Hyperdrive sequence begun. Hit it, Sergeant Pilar.” Afer given orders from Donner to Sergeant Pilar, who was in an emotional state afer having to set bomb 7 off, of having a somewhat mutual conceptual feeling for a friendship in a matter of speaking. Even thou it was not human form, it had the same thoughts and feelings as one, a mind like one and pains and sorrows just as well. Sergeant Pilar at the moment was in a state of mind. Sergeant Pilar, as he hit the hyperdrive switch, the force fields energy had the men almost unable to move until they we’re in a better location where it was safe to shut it down and able to move frequently once again, in a safe environment. The DARK STAR accelerated into hyperdrive and streaks away through space, deep far into space away. The planetary recedes in the background. Inside the Observation Dome, where Mendez is frozen in a protective force field.
Somewhere, just behind the ship, some distance away, there they see a flare of light, a light from where a planet once was, in now a dot of light, which has exploded into nothing. CHAPTER 3 As the ship comes out of the force field and disappears from around Mendez coming out of hyperdrive. Starts to rub his eyes as though he was awaking, as he looks down at the panels. Mendez looks down onto a small screen to see an exploding planet, still afer seeing it through the window, he noticed it again. Just then, a read out came in. DESTRUCTION SEQUENCE COMPLETE Mendez touched his intercom “Lieutenant Donner, come in sir, it just exploded.” Mendez paused for a minute
“Come in Lieutenant, the planet has is gone, its exploded. Mendez is nervous and shaking, as the microphone too is shaking waiting. The men are stretching out and relaxing from seating so long. Donner replies to Pilar. “Sergeant Pilar, unlock fail-safe.” Sergeant Pilar unlocked the fail-safe unit at that call in. “Fail-safe unlocked Lieutenant Donner.” Just afer that unlock of the fail-safe, a recording came through over the intercom: ATTENTION. ATTENTION. The hyperdrive sequence is now terminated. Please observe that the no smoking signs have growrrr… The voice starts to run down and loss of connection. Lieutenant Donner just then chimes in to question in now what to do and what should happen next. “Well, now what do we do? What do you have for us now? Brady? “I’m not sure at this moment, seems nothing at all not in this sector.” “Well, find me something, I need something, just do it, I don’ care where it is.” “I’m showing a ninety-percentage probability of some sentient life in the Horsehead Nebula.” “Oh, come on, fuck that shit man.” “What do you want me to say, it’s kind of a long shot, best we got.” “No, it’s a goddamn wild goose chase, fuck, remember when Commander Pratt found that ninety-nine plus probability of sentient life in the Mag Cloud?” “Yeah, well there’s a possibility of…”
Remember what we found? Fifeen light years for fucking mindless vegetable that looked like a piece of balloon and went squawking and then fart when you touched it. You remember that? “Yeah. Yeah, I remember now, don’t remind me, okay then.” “Okay, so don’t give me any sentient life shit, I need and want what I asked. Find me something I can blow up.” Just afer Lieutenant Donner said blow up, Sergeant Pilar herd that, as he saw a new star on the dashboard, Sergeant Pilar was both shocked and surprised to see one finally soon enough. Sergeant Pilar reached out and spoke over the radio at his sighting. “There it is boys, NEW STAR.”
“Hey guys, guess what I found on my board readout? I said I found a NEW STAR on the readout.” Lieutenant didn’t hear him, nor did he look up at all, he only asked of which one, that was his main and only concern at the moment. “Which one sir.” “Another, well I’m not sure exactly, it seems to be unknown. It’s nowhere on the charts, believe it’s a dwarf, a Red Dwarf. Any planets? Otherwise?” “Yes, I have about eight here on a readout.” “Good ones, looking for any that are good ones. Are any of them good?” “Eh, they all seem to be stable, pretty much there neutral.” CHAPTER 4 Just afer Lieutenant Donner was told by Sergeant Pilar nothing good or great about these planets, he lost all hope and interest of what Pilar had said aferwards, nothing more mattered at the time to Lieutenant Donner. His interest was far deep. Sergeant Pilar came back to question the Lieutenant what if at all, would he like to name it.
“So, Sergeant Pilar, what would you going to name it?” “What? What are you talking about now?” “The NEW STAR. What would you like to name this? Any ideas?” “I don’t know, who cares. I can’t be bothered with this right now.” As Sergeant Pilar is starting to tighten up and get pist off, he starts to lock his jaw so tight and grunts. Then a pause. Sergeant Pilar comes back with a reply.
“Commander Pratt, now he would have named it something, something good too.” “Commander Pratt, sir Commander Pratt is, well he is dead sir.” Just then, Sergeant Pilar stopped and thought a minute, as he glanced back at the empty chair nearby. Remembering that was Commander Pratt’s seat, his unfortunate death, was a tragedy. There was a time once earlier, they we’re on a mission together, one just about the same. However, the time with Commander Pratt, he discovered the planet, as he called it in, and then went to discharge bomb 2. Soon as he was tapping on buttons and flipping switches. A short circuit blew on Commander Pratt, causing a burst of flames. Commander tried getting out of the seat as quickly as possible, thou he was buckled n still and also a bit tight in the seat. Causing him to receive a third-degree burn. Sergeant Pilar tried helping him out, just as he helped him out, the bomb-bay doors opened. Letting Commander Pratt fall to his near death. The men tried quickly bringing him back to health, but there was nothing they could do. Thou, they kept Pratt’s brain and most to half his body they could, to regenerate it for communications. Finally, Sergeant Pilar snapped back out of it and replied to Lieutenant Donner. “Come on their Donner, so what’s it going to be, give me a name for it.” “Chad.” “Huh? What?” “You asked me to name it, the star correct? So, I name it Chad.” Brady chimes in on this about the star to Donner. “Here’s one Donner, how about this an unstabbed planet, named jumper.an eighty-five probability of a planet unstable enough in the Veil Nebula in which more likely will go off its orbit and hit some star.” “Ah, well then, sounds good. Chart us a course for the Veil Nebula then.” “Pilar sir, mind passing me the chart log, seems we have a course set to change.” Pilar grabs a loose-leaf notebook along with the chart log from the shelf of where Commander Pratt sat at one time, where the burnt panel still sits. He passes the log to Brady, Donner with a sour look on his face looking at Pilar and Brady, picks up the notebook and begins to skim through it. Reading what he can. CHAPTER 5 Sometime afer looking though the notebook, Lieutenant Donner puts down the notebook, looks around towards the other men around. Noticed its silence, the dead of silence is getting to him at this point. Replies to the men. “Hey guys let’s play some music in here, Brady, get something playing.” Brady nods his head and turns around, he then hits a switch and pushes a button, really LOUD rock music starts playing as they are all starting to feel the music just as well. The men are relaxing as they listen and sit back to the rock music, while the DRAK STAR is drifing through space passing many different and various wonders of cosmic in the atmosphere. Mendez
concentrates staring out the small windows of the shuttle, into space, while Brady is trimming his beard down some, it’s a bit bushy to him. Pilar was looking for something to do as he came across some comics that they brought aboard some time ago, and is going through what he wanted to start reading though, while Donner found a deck of cards to play some solitaire, since he was going to play with either both Brady and Pilar. But it seemed both men found something to do themselves, so he decided to play alone, a game of solitaire. Donner still playing cards and then, the screen starts to bleep, he noticed something coming up. “Ship’s logging, entry number is one-thousand-eight- hundred-fify-two. DARK STAR cruising at the speed through Sector Theta nine-hundred-eighty. We are in route to Veil Nebula for the destruction of the unstable planet. Our known ETA is at 1600 hours. As Donner is thinking now. “Ship’s systems continue to deteriorate…” Pilar leans in as he thinks a minute, viewing at this as well. Whispers into Donners ear then nods back to Pilar and withdraws. Donner continues to reply. “Well then, that short circuit in which killed Commander Pratt, it continues to be a bit faulty. Umm… storage area 8…” Pilar now is nervous and leans back and whispers emphatically. Donner sits there and looks put upon. Now that Pilar is also sitting next to that panel as well, it also now starts to bother him more and more. Starts to get to him, knowing he sat next to Commander Pratt. Not that sitting next to the Commander was a bad thing, only the problem that had occurred in that spot alone. Started eating at him. Donner continued with speaking of the storage. “So, there is Storage Area 6 self-destructed last week, nearly destroying the entire supply of goods. That’s about all. Then there was a BEEPING. Mendez still minding his business, staring out, at the stars and looking into space. Not a care in the world, just other things, more important things on his mind at the moment. What’s going on around him, he knows is not as bad as it seems or looks. However, it may seem he doesn’t pay any attention, he has a clear mind to what’s going on around him to know not to worry in stepping into something that doesn’t seem to be in need to. Soon aferwards, a hatch opens up. Donner calls to Mendez. “Mendez.” “Mendez, here you go buddy, I have some breakfast.” Donner climbed into the dome inside and sat done on the floor, he handed Mendez some food, a food package, and some watches matter-of-factly as Mendez began to eat. “Hey, you know something Mendez, you really never eat with the rest of us, and I don’t know why? Thing is, you spend too much time away, or up here. You should come dome with us more ofen.”
“Donner, I seem to like it up here, you don’t seem to understand just yet.” “Yeah, but it must get lonesome, being all alone a lot, don’t you think?” “Donner listen, I don’t, ever since Commander Pratt died, well don’t like going down there, I just feel so enclosed as well, and up here, I feel it’s much bigger, or maybe because it’s just me alone. You know, it’s so big up here and peaceful, I’d even sleep up here.” “Well Mendez, seriously, you should consider spending at least some time down below, just to see more of the rest of the ship. Not to mention, the other men.” “Well Donner, look the thing is, I watch things up here, you know. I love to watch and see the things; no other gets to see from up here. I get to stare at the planets and the meteors and asteroids, and gas glisters.” “Well, you’ll have plenty of time for all that, you know what I mean. Think of it all this way, twenty years in space, and we’ve aged only about three of those years. So, there will be plenty of time to see or even stare around into space like you want to do.” “Well since you put it that way Donner, you have a point, and since we are headed into the Veil Nebula, we just may find some beautiful things ahead of us. The Phoenix Asteroids. They should if I’m right, be passing by there about now too.” “What, what, what’s that, never heard of them.” “Well Lieutenant Donner, they are a body of asteroids that make a complete circuit of the universe once every 12.4 trillion years. The Phoenix Asteroids… From what I’ve heard, Donner, they glow…glow with all the colors as they drif around the universe. Imagine all the sights they’ve seen in the time they’ve been travelling—the birth and death of stars, things we’ll never see. The universe is alive, Donner. I thought it was all empty, but it isn’t. in between the stars, it’s seething with light, gasses and dust. There are little pebbles drifing around, planets no one on earth has ever seen…No one nut the Phoenix Asteroids…” A noise, a sound from the panels goes off some bleeping sound that interrupts Mendez from his long talk to Donner about space and its true life and what he knows and believes. He looks down to the panel, and yet his sof talk that has faded out now has started Donner into a rut from reminiscing to back to a serious game play of what may be going on and why the bleeping is happening. “You know what I think about a lot, Mendez?” “I’m getting something here, on this readout Donner.” “It’s funny, but I kind of sit around, you know what I mean, and I mean a lot of times to myself and just think. You know.” “Donner, look, I think I’m getting a malfunction here, somewhere.” “Thing is, I can’t talk to the others about it you know, but with time to myself, I think about back home at Malibu. I used to surf a lot, Mendez. I was one of the best, I was the greatest surfers around man.” “Lieutenant Donner, I’m getting a definite malfunction on one of these closed-circuit computer systems…”
“The waves man, at Malibu and Zuma, they were fantastic in the springtime Mendez. I can STILL remember running down that hot summer beach, early in the spring mornings, with my board under my arm. In my wet suit and ready to go.” “Donner. I can’t seem to locate the malfunction to be exact sir…” “The waves man, wow, the waves would be peaking really high, and glassy looking. And when I hit that water man, all I could think about was that tube and riding that wave, which took me straight into that tube. Afer I got my tube man, it was like a dream.” “Umm…Somewhere in the autonomic relay circuits…” “Well, thanks for listings man, really think I miss my board and those high waves and tubes galore man.” Mendez turned away from the computer board and looked Lieutenant Donner in the eye, and addressed him in what we are doing and what we ae TO be doing, that if he would like to talk about his past, that can be addressed at a later date and what’s happening now is way more serious and needs more serious attention too. “Umm. Ok Donner, I do have malfunction that needs attention to on this readout. But I can’t seem to pinpoint to where exactly it’s coming from.” “Ah, no worries, look we will find out when it’s really al that bad, well when its geos really bad, how’s that sound.” “Sir, please, I really think I should try.” “God, I wish I had my board with me right now, wax that up nice and just whoa…Even if I had a picture of it to even see it DAMN.” CHAPTER 6 The DARK STAR just drifing onward throughout the space. As they sit there in the ship watching for other stars and planets. Brady comes into action with a notice from the corner of his eye, something on the panel. “Hey guys, getting some flickering light here on one of my panels.” “Flickering? What do you mean a flickering, what kind of flickering light is it, Brady?” “Not exactly sure, but I’m thinking it’s the only one of thought to me is, the one on unit…oh, I think it’s GMR thirteen zero-zero. Pilar that’s what I’m getting I believe.” “Oh man, now what can it be, what’s wrong now with this.” “Not exactly sure exactly Pilar, something just seems fucked up in this ship. I’m not sure where yet or if I can locate it, but, yeah, something is really fucked up sir.” “Damnit, I hope it’s not the oven again, well what do you think?”
“Yeah well, the last time something went wrong, it also blew the oven as well. Not that we need to lose that as well. Still going to need to cook and eat as well. Since we are all stuck up here sir, Sergeant Pilar sir.” “Remember when the artificial gravity, when that went out in the toilet?” Soon afer the thoughts of what had happened from then and what’s happening now, they both we’re a bit puzzled and wanted to figure it out. Even thou at the moment it wasn’t too bad or important enough to worry about having to take care of it this minute. On top of the fact, they noticed that Lieutenant Donner showed up with some food, for everyone to sit and eat. In which is where the lieutenant heated it up from the oven. “So, Donner, what do you think? You really think we will ever find any real intelligent life somewhere out in this space there?” “Out exactly where? Where are you talking? God knows what you can find out here Pilar.” “What do you mean where Donner, I’m talking about the Veil Nebula. Of course, there’s more likely some kind of life out there something we would find soon enough I’m sure, but I was mainly talking about the Veil Nebula.” “Eh, well who cares really, do you really care?” Back in the control room, it’s empty, and quiet for the moment, soon aferwards, there we’re repetitive BEEPS going off. Seemed to be an incoming communication from somewhere. Some on-camera communications came through. “Hi their guys. So glad to finally get your response. We finally gathered from the ten-year communications log that you are around or approximately 18 parsecs away. you should really drop us a line more ofen since you are not that far off, won’t you?” “Sorry to hear about your troubles, with the mis-malfunctions, also about the death of the Commander Powers, terribly sorry, it must have been a shocker. There was a time here on earth we mourned, the flags here we’re all half-mast. In respect for the Commander.” “I really don’t want to do this, but I’m going to be giving you some more bad news, when afer all you guys are doing so swell job up there. However, something has come up, thou we felt that we should let you now know about it. It’s something to do with the systems simulations computer, just that by the time this message reaches you it’s predicted to say, in about ten years—there will be a failure in one of your vital ship’s systems. The malfunction will occur in—system number F171247. Now you can tell, by what a problem it could have been if you didn’t catch this one in time. So, what you should do is this: first, do not, repeat, do not attempt to adjust any of the systems manually. Also, second—” The room starts to dimmer and flicker, the signal starts to fade out and loss of contact of visual. Mendez gets frustrated and annoyed, as he is sitting in front of a screen. He starts hitting on switches and buttons as well the screen hoping something will work for him. Just afer a few minutes later, the screen comes back into focus, with a schematic cross-section of a ship that appears in a glowing green lined screen. Mendez slams on some more buttons and switches he hits one of them and not noticing which one, sets
off the Emergency Air Lock. Afer hitting it, the red light is pulsing in a small labelling COMMUNICATIONS LASER #18 “Lieutenant Donner, come in, this is Mendez, over. Lieutenant Donner?” “What is it Mendez, what seems to be the problem?” “Sorry, don’t mean to interrupt you sir, with your lunch, however, seems in the Computer Room, I think I’ve located some malfunction. Seems that, the scanner shows it to be some sort of fault in the communications laser, somewhere down by the Emergency Air Lock. Just can’t seem to exactly pinpoint where exactly, however I was going down to with a star suit and going to try and find it.” “Right, ok then Mendez, sounds good to me. Let me know if anything important comes up while your down there.” Lieutenant Donner gets off his mic and lays it back down on the control panel and goes back to eating his lunch. As Brady turns to Donner and questions Donner. “What is it with Mendez? Why Don’t Mendez ever eat down here with all the rest of us. What’s he does not like us or something?” “No, it’s not that, just seems to like it better up there. It’s the dome he likes is all. That’s all, nothing personal.” Brady started to think, and then frowned and looked at Donner and said. “Well, do you even know his first name, Mendez that is?” Donner started thinking about it, as he even started thinking. As an odd expression crossed his face. Donner turned and asked a question himself. “Well, what’s my first name?” Suddenly, the control room and screen come back on, and a shot from the video comes back on cutting off Donner. “—Then re-patch channel 14 and seal all the plates. Do not mess with it at all, it should work okay. Just glad we caught this thing just before anything really serious happened. Just keep on going with the good work men.” Soon afer that last incoming, it once again fades out, and replaced by a message. END COMMUNICATION Lights start blinking, peacefully in the control room. More settle then they we’re before from so much disturbance. Finally, the DARK STAR is finally suspended in frame, as a big title pops up following on screen. VEIL NEBULA Brady starts at it as there looking upon what they see.
“There she is boys. Definite 98%-plus probability that I’m sure the planet is going to deviate from its normal orbit in about twelve thousand rotations. It will more likely spiral in towards its sun, and—” “Eventual supernova.” “Yeah, good stuff their Sergeant Pilar.” “Sergeant Pilar then hits a button. ” Ok, bomb bay systems operational, sir.” Bomb #21 starts to get lowered, in this case lowered ponderously out of the ship. Then back in the control room with Donner. CHAPTER 7 “Lock-fail safe.” Sergeant Pilar turns the key. “Fail-safe in lock. We have four minutes to drop, 22 minutes to detonation. This is sergeant Pilar calling bomb 21. Do you read me, bomb 21?” “bomb #21 to sergeant Pilar. Roger, I read you, continue.” Back in the EMERGANCY AIR LOCK the chromium-steel walls of the Emergency Air Lock to reveal Mendez in a star-suit. He seems to only wearing it as a protection against possible depressurization, as therefore wears no jetpack, and only carrying his tool kit, as he is slowly circling the lock. A recorded voice comes about. You are now in the Emergency Air Lock. Please remember that the Surface Door can only be opened without prior depressurization, so be sure to wear your star-suit at all times. Thank you for your cooperation and for your observing all safety precautions. There’s a plate cover loose that Mendez had seemed to have found, that’s on the laser shaf that’s loose. He puts down his tool kits for moment and puts on his helmet that has his radio headset in it. “Ok, sir, Lieutenant Donner, sir.” “Shh, not now Mendez, I can’t be bothered right now.” “Well, I think I have found the malfunction, sir. I’m down in the Emergency Air Lock…” Lieutenant Donner turns off the radio signal to Mendez, cuts off the frequency to Mendez. Sergeant Pilar continues to count afer the cutoff from Mendez. “One hundred twenty seconds to drop, bomb, have you checked your platinum euridium energy shielding?” “Energy shielding positive function.” “Do you remember the detonation time?”
“Detonation time is in twelve minutes.” “Correct, that synchronizes here as well. Okay, bomb, arm yourself.” “Armed sir.” Mendez stands in front of the laser shaft, trying his best to reach out to Donner on the helmet radio. Hello? Lieutenant Donner? Are you there, hello? Silence. Carefully, Mendez starts reaching out to panels hanging and dangling plates on the laser shaf. Started to push one of them that dropped him to the floor of the lock with the CLANG. A recorded Voice Communication Laser #16, monitoring information relay and bomb bay systems, has now been activated and will switch into a test mode. If you will look near, he Surface Door, you will see that the Parallax Receptor Cell has been engaged. A small triangular hole opens in the opposite wall and a photo-sensitive cell rotates into position. Recorded Voice A very small triangular hole opens up in the opposite side wall, and a photo-sensitive cell starts rotating into position. Recorded Voice The laser is now all energized. Please stand clear of all paths of the beam ahead. Mendez steps back quickly. The airlock lights start to dim, and as a HIGH-PITCH WHINE. A PENCILTHIN BEAM OF RUBY LIGHT STARTS PULSING THE LOCK, from the laser shaf to the receptor cell. Recorded Voice Communications Laser #16 is now on a test. Strictly under no circumstances enter the path of this beam. Thank you for all your observing and cooperation and for your safety precautions as well. Control Room Everything sounds fine, bomb. Dropping you off in sixty seconds. Good luck. Thanks. Quantum is up thirty-five. I read the same here Brady. You got it Pilar, anytime, just making sure we have the same readings, copy that. Mendez crouches by the laser shaf, carefully, peering past the red humming beam. CHAPTER 8
Donner. Donner? If you’re there, I’m going to try to adjust this cue switch on this laser. Silence. Mendez continues to call Donner again. Then… Well… here it goes… He takes a long tool from the took kit. Slowly, with agonizing care, as he inserts the tool into the laser shaf, painstakingly avoiding the beam. He engages the tool into the base of the laser, as he begins to make an adjustment. There is a BLINDING FLASH OF LIGHT. Mendez drops the tool and staggers back, clutching hold of his face plate. My eyes… my EYES… Recorded Voice Attention. Attention. The laser has just malfunctioned. Under no circumstances must you enter the path of the beam. To do so in any way, will cause immediate… Mendez stumbles into the beam. There is a dull EXPLOSTION. Bomb Bay There is a FLASH on the lower side of bomb 21, a sudden EXPLOSTION. Lights BLIP FURIOUSLY on the bomb. Control Room Pilar starts the countdown. Begin the sequence. Mark at 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1-drop. A honker sounds off. The men sit up. I have the negative drop. The bomb is still in the bomb bay Pilar. Try it again, sir. Pilar resets his panel once again. The honker stops. Pilar resets his panel once again. The honker stops. Pilar starts over once again, MARK at 5-4-3-2-1-drop. HONK-HONK-HONKAh, dammit a negative drop. The men stare at each other in silence for a long moment. Simultaneously they begin hitting all kinds of buttons in a panic. CHAPTER 9 Donner steps in. re-channel all safety relays—
Open quantum latches. Yes Brady, need that done as well. And the… Pilar cuts off Donner. Open all the breakers and… Bonner cuts in. remove thrust drive repellant. Automatic channels open as well. Remark. Copy that Pilar. Pilar once again. 5-4-3-2-1-drop, drop, drop! They all stand there and wait and watch as there is a very long pause. Brady speaks in as there all waiting. Sitting there. It’s just sitting there, seriously guys! Bomb Bay Bomb #21 hangs underneath the ship, waiting. Emergency Air Lock Mendez lies unconscious on the floor of the lock, still afer what has happened. Not knowing what to do and think at this moment in time. Control Room All the men are so stressed and out of control at his point. They are more a wreck than they’ve ever been before in their lives. As this men stand with strained anxiety on their faces. This is Lieutenant Donner calling bomb #21. I repeat previous orders, you are to disarm yourself and return immediately to the bomb bay. That’s an order, do you understand? I am programmed to detonate in fourteen minutes thirty seconds. Detonation will occur at the programmed timing. Bomb, this is Donner. You are not to detonate, repeat, you are not to detonate in the bomb bay, that’s an order. Disarm yourself, repeat, DISARM YOURSELF NOW. Bomb Bay I read you sir, Lieutenant Donner you don’t understand, I am programmed to detonate in fourteen minutes, sir, the detonation will occur and happen as the programmed timing was set. Control Room Lieutenant seems to be an exact fourteen-minute detonation in order, sir.
All the men stare at each other in a panic mode, and wondering what the hell to do next as they stand and sit in fear of their lives at the stake of a bomb that won’t follow orders, one to which is only and all are unfortunately in a programmed state.
Recorded Voice Attention. Attention. The bomb has a malfunction. Automatic dampers have now gone into effect and will confine the explosion to an area one mile in diameter. At this time, please contact mission control and await further instructions. Thank you for observing any and all safety precautions.
A pause for a minute or so from all the men now, in a more of a relief, knowing now that at least the bomb came to be a misfire on mark. They sighed a moment of peace and giggled in fear of happiness.
Well, there is only one thing to do men. I will have to go and ask Commander Pratt. I am going to have to ask him what I should do next for us all. This is just out of hand and crazy. CHAPTER 10 Freezer Room Donner climbed down the ladder into the icy-blue, cold Freezer Room. The walls themselves were covered with frost, as the mist just hangs in the air. Cold and freezing as he went down. He quickly put on a pair of insulated gloves and approaches a heavy freezer door just ahead. As he got to the door, there was a sign on it as well, that read: CRYOGENIC FREEZER COMPARTMENT -CAUTIONABSOLTUE ZERO.
He opened the door. Commander Pratt is encased in the freezer in a post-death, frozen ammonia state. The wires and electrodes were attached to his head. Donner took a microphone from one of the consoles on the freezers. He flipped a switch a switch and started speaking through the microphone.
Commander Pratt? Commander Pratt, this is Donner, do you read me sir? A crackle of static starts to come through the speaker grill, along with the FAINT MUTTERING of COMMANDER PRATT’S voice. …muffirup glurrinpinffropal…
Donner starts to mess around and fiddle with the volume controls, starts trying to bring Commander Pratt’s voice into a better auto to hear him well.
Commander Pratt, this is Donner. Ah, there seems to be something serious up here sir, I also have some things to ask you sir. I’m glad you have come to talk with me Donner, I seem to be feeling very weak at the moment. It has been so long as well since anyone has come to see me. Commander, sir we have some very big problems. You see, it’s about the Veil Nebula bomb, Bomb number 21. Well sir, it’s stuck and we are in a greater dander at the moment. It just won’t drop from the Bomb Bay. It refuses to listen and take any orders. Also plans to destruct at it’s sequential timing. Is there anything you can do, or even tell me what I can do in less then (checks watch) eleven minutes sir? Donner, what you must do is, tell me one thing. Umm, what is that sir? Tell me this, how are the Dodgers doing? Sir, the Dodgers broke up around thirteen years ago, disbanded sir. Ah, what a pity… Sir, this has nothing to do with the Bomb, please sir, stay on the same page as me sir. So, the Bomb, with that in mind. We can’t seem to get it off the Bomb Bay and drop it. Ah, so many malfunctions… why is it you never have anything nice to say or even tell me, when you activate me? Oh well, so did you try the azimuth clutch by any chance? Yes sir, that was a negative. We didn’t get any feedback or even any effect out of that. What was that? What did you say Donner? It was a negative sir; it didn’t work out. You say it didn’t work? That’s correct sir. I myself figured it would but turned out to be a negative for us. Ok, sorry about that Donner. I’ve forgotten so much in such a long time I guess, well since I have been in here that is.so, so much. Well sir, time is running out, so what should we do now, we are in a serious situation at this time at hand. Ok Donner, what I think you should try…
As Donner was listening carefully to what is next, he should do patiently trying to hear everything Pratt was saying, Pratt started to fade out in the static of the sounds in the transmitter. Donner started going crazy and fiddling with the dials on the dash to receive the rest of the information from Commander Pratt. Then finally…
Commander, Commander Pratt? Hello, are you there? Commander Pratt?
Hey, hi there Donner, there you are. Hello. Sorry about that sir, you faded out for a minute or so. Sorry. Commandeer, so what were you saying, about the bomb that is sir? Ah, yeah, it seems to me Donner… I just seem to have drawn to a blank. Wait, hold it a minute. I don’t know, I might have it in a minute or so. You know, I do forget so much here alone a lot, so many things. Ok, ok just a minute, hold on now. CHAPTER 11
Back in the control room as the other men were around and Pilar was standing around in orders, waiting…
But you can’t explode in the Bomb Bay. That would be foolish. Your going to kill us all. There is no reason for it at all. I am sorry, I am to detonate in nine minutes. Detonation will occur at the approximate and programmed timing. Your just not going to consider some other fucking course of action, other than this explosion in the Bomb Bay? You can’t simply wait on a solution of us figuring a way to disarm you? No, I am sorry. Those are my orders in doing so, to explode at the timing of destruction. Well Pilar, I can tell this damn thing just doesn’t seem to want to understand or come to an understanding with us. We are FUCKED. DAMMIT, ok look Bomb…
Back in the freezer room while Donner and Commander Pratt were chatting to also find a way to knock out the signal for the Bomb not to explode in the Bomb Bay.
Commander? Are you still with me? Are you there? Oh, oh yes Donner, I was still just thinking, sorry. Sir, we are seriously running out of time. Please, I’m not trying to rush you, but we are going to all be in serious shit. Oh yes, well Donner, if you can’t get it to drop. The next best thing your going to have to do is talk to it. Sir? Are you joking with me?
Talk to the Bomb, seriously. Sir, I already have, as Pilar is doing that right now. I don’t know what he has out of the situation yet. No, no Donner, you need to talk to the Bomb yourself. Teach it a great Phenomenology. Donner. Sir? Phenomenology…
Back in the control room Pilar calls back to Donner, letting him know of the timing and the news of update.
Donner! Donner! Come in Donner, six minutes until detonation!
Wearing his starsuit, complete and all with jetpack, Donner pushes a button. Just above him the doors open slowly, sliding open. Donner slowly rises up out of the ship. He stops his ascent with his jetpack, then turns, moving down towards the Bomb Bay. Donner! Donner, what the hell do you think you are about to do? Donner floats upward into shot, jets himself up until he is facing off with a massive Bomb 21 Hello, their Bomb, so tell me are you with me? Oh, of course. I’m here. So, tell me are you willing to entertain a few concepts? I am always receptive to suggestions. Ok fine. So, think about this one, then: how do you know you exist? CHAPTER 12
Brady responds to a question as to what Donner is up to. What is he doing in there? His he crazy? Umm, I think he is doing what I was doing, talking to it.
Well, of course I exist, why wouldn’t I, I am talking to you. Well, tell me this. How do you know you exist? It is Intuitively obvious.
Intuition is no proof. So, what concrete evidence do you have of your own existence? Hmm… well, I think, therefore I am. Ok, that’s good. Very good. So now then, how would you know how you do that anything else exist? My sensory apparatus reveals it to me. Right. Oh, this is fun. Alright now. Here is the BIG question: how do or would you know the evidence your sensory apparatus reveals to you is even correct?
Mendez lies unconscious near the burned laser, still out of it.