Dark Contact

by Logan Haelstrom

  They’d probably crap their pants on sight.

  But he was more than them. He was special, and specifically chosen for his aptitude, fortitude and abilities. They needed him and he would be worthy of the respect he deserved. He would be the one to make first contact, not them. He could find a way to board the vessel and would have much more time now than before. He planned to board it and have more information before the security teams got there.

  But he could only deal with one thing at a time.

  That’s when Austin made a move and brought his attention back to the present.

  So it’s like that then…

  Austin got in and barricaded himself before Deacon could reach him. He could tell that Deacon wasn’t going to try too hard because he felt he had everything in his favour, and that’s what Austin had counted on. One thing about large space stations and a small initial crew, you had lots to explore and all the time in the world for doing it. He’d won most of the hide-and-seek games for a reason. Of course, they were all pretty toasted, but still, he knew how to navigate the station like no one else on board. Being a data guy, he’d delved into the schematics of the place and knew it in and out.

  He knew, for instance, that if he could access the panel off to his right, he could make his way to the hanger and wait out Deacon with an AI battle from the safety of a pod outside. Despite Deacon “bringing the heavy guns” and having BenDeCorp on his side, Austin had set up programs of his own and could, with a little time, circumnavigate the systems. He’s win the battle with time.

  The problem was Deacon would see where he went. Suit or not suit, it didn’t matter if there wasn’t air if Deacon locked him in the shafts halfway to the bay forever.

  He quickly called up the AI and gave it instructions to test. It worked, Samantha had not commandeered everything yet. But Deacon had to be close to total control.

  Just then the klaxons started up again and Austin jumped at the abrupt intrusion, his nerves raw and adrenaline pumping. It was the level 3 warning again, by the pattern of the screeching. The vessel was doing something, and he could only imagine what.

  Whatever it was, it didn’t sound good.

  Austin’s fingers flew over the keyboard and he saw no signs of Deacon trying to override. For that matter, Deacon’s whereabouts didn’t appear when Austin tried to call them up. He’d just have to assume the plan was solid and do what he could. The station field extended only so far and permitted communication only to a certain point for the AIs as a protective measure, and once Austin was beyond that point, he could turn his attentions to dealing with Deacon.

  Suiting up as quickly as he could, he just started to hear the hiss of air escaping the lab when the gloves were secure. Okay, he had minutes at most. Deacon had found a way.

  Here goes nothing.

  Austin pulled himself up and felt a strange sensation grip his entire body. It felt lighter. The ring was slowing and gravity forces were lessening. It was subtle, but he knew it was happening. He just didn’t know if it was bad or not. He shrugged. For now, he pulled himself up and in, and tried to focus his thoughts on getting to the bay, with or without gravity.

  Ten gruelling minutes later Austin reached his destination. The alarms had ceased again and Austin wondered what Deacon was up to as he hadn’t heard from him. That, he admitted to himself, was alarming.

  Deacon took a moment to absorb what he was reading. A flood of data was coming back from the field approaching the alien craft. If he didn’t know better, he’d swear it was in error. According to the data, incredibly huge swaths of space had massive pinpoints of gravity. It was like a minefield surrounding the craft, only with massive centres of unimaginable pull instead of explosive devices. At those levels, there should have been incredible rippling of space and light, but the “balls”—the only way to think of it—of massive energies were five feet in diameter. And there were hundreds of them. And each one showed black-hole like strength. How could that even be possible? What technology could do such a thing? Nothing could withstand the onslaught of that pressure. It explained the Icarus 1. It was frightening to even imagine. He could never enter the field around the vessel, unless they were unmoving and he could find a safe way to navigate the safe spaces in between. There had to be buffers…

  But he didn’t have time for that now. He had to deal with Austin.

  There it was. One pod was already gone and the other was waiting. That’s what must have happened to Danielle. She was somewhere out there, floating away in her own pod, lifeless. He’d mourn her later.

  Resolving himself, Austin finished buckling in just as the doors swung open and Deacon pulled himself in, floating through the doors. Throwing his feet towards the floor, they stuck in place and he moved as quickly as he could towards Austin. Deacon suddenly stopped, then tapped his helmet indicating his ear.

  Fine. This will be good. Austin clicked the switch and the sound of Deacon’s heavy breathing flooded his ears.

  “You won’t be able to do anything,” said Deacon. “At least let me fill the pod with gas, and you’ll go to sleep peacefully, just like that.” Austin suddenly realized Deacon needed the pod. Of course he would. There weren’t many left, and Deacon wanted redundancies.

  “It’s getting closer, you know,” he continued. “It’s moving towards us. I even found what looks to be an opening, Austin. Can you believe that? A massive door, and it’s been slowly rising open over the last two minutes. And I’m going in. But this is your last stop, buddy. Why do you gotta make things so hard? I told you it’s not personal. But things are about to get real, and I gotta do what’s best for me. ”

  “I’d expect nothing less, you asshole.” Austin’s head whipped around at the sound of the new voice.

  Danielle.

  He looked back over his other shoulder and watched Danielle’s pod coming closer from outside the open bay doors. She was heading straight for Deacon.

  “What the hell—?” said Deacon, not believing what he was seeing.

  “Austin, block the inner doors,” she commanded.

  Austin moved without thinking, to position his pod in front of the doors leading into the station. Deacon turned, looking stunned. His inaction didn’t last long. He ran for the safety of the crew box. But the boots didn’t work that way in zero gravity. Each step had to be placed carefully in the void of atmosphere, or he’d lose his footing.

  It was too late, and he knew it.

  Danielle’s pod came in fast and Deacon barely had time to turn and scream. Austin winced and instinctively put his hands to his ears, but the helmet blocked him from shutting out the high-pitched scream and grunt. A mass of flesh, suit and blood painted the wall as her pod recoiled backward slowly from the impact.

  Austin finally got a look into her pod and wondered at how she still breathed. Her face was bloated and her eyes looked white and pupil-less. She looked to have survived exposure. But it wouldn’t be for long.

  “Use your pod,” she croaked.

  “What?” he said, caught up in the horror around him.

  “Put yourself in cryo and head back. This station won’t…”

  He waited. “Won’t what?” he prodded.

  One horribly disfigured eye turned in his direction, a sight he’d remember in his dreams forever. “It’s not a ship. It’s an alien weapon. I’ve seen such things, Austin…they came to me…”

  Now she was talking nonsense. She was close to death, and he fought to think what he could do.

  “The weapon is used upon contact with… with…”

  “Doc?” She wasn’t responding. “Doc? With what?”

  He thought she was finally gone, then she smiled a faint grin and struggled to get more out. “It will be okay. But you must leave. We have to start over. Don’t send the company…. Start over, Austin. Start over. Your heart, your heart is good. I think they’ll let you go, but there’s no more time. Oh, Austin… the things I’ve seen. It’s beautiful. And horrifying.”

  Austin
kept his pod facing her with small adjustments as he tried to make sense of her words. She looked to be looking inward, the smile on her face one of peace despite the hideousness of the condition of her body.

  “I don’t understand,” he started again, “I don’t—”

  “Leave, Austin. And share this with the people back home.” She reached out a feeble hand and pressed a button, and a blur of data scrolled past his screen and HUD as she collapsed forward.

  What he saw took his breath away.

  My God…

  He heard the last rattle of breath as the air left her lungs for the final time. He was on his own.

  And he had to move.

  Austin started prepping the pod and checked to make sure no one else was alive on board the station. He looked over his shoulder as he worked manically and saw the massive vessel closing distance. They’d finally made first contact, and it was far from little green men. Friend or foe, he’d figure that out later.

  If there is a God, may he help us all…

  But he didn’t have time for more thoughts about what it all meant. He had to get to a safe distance before programming the flight back.

  Small, controlled bursts, and he finally was clear of the station.

  The view from afar captivated him. What he could see would stay with him forever. There were mysteries inside that huge door that called him, beckoned him, and dark shapes poured out of it. Yet he felt a strange sense of calm as he rocketed away. Alarms screamed in his ears that the station was in jeopardy and he put it on screen to watch as his pod carried him away.

  The station was crumbling like a piece of candy wrapper.

  But he had secrets.

  Incredible secrets. And they had to get home with him safely. His head hurt from everything that was happening, and Austin took a sedative as his pod worked up slow-trajectories for a return to earth.

  They’d made first contact all right, but no one could prepare them for this.

  But he had to try.

  In a matter of months, or what would feel like a long, dreamless sleep to him, he had to tell the world what was coming.

  And he was excited.

  And he was scared.

  He just hoped they passed the test too.