Ashlyn Chronicles 1: 2287 A.D. (12 page)

***

“Is everything all right, sir?” asked Jenkins.

“For the moment.” Steven smiled at the young man.

Returning to his monitor, Jenkins’ gave the update, “Second volley arriving.” A moment passed. “A bit better, 109 meters this time. The wave has weakened another—6.2 percent.”

“Engineering, how is the shield configuration coming?”

“We’re working on it, sir,” replied Brooks.

“We have little more than a minute, Commander!”

“Aye, sir.” The fact that Brooks was under pressure from the time constraint was hugely evident in his voice.

“Sharkfin generators are on-line. Reserves are at 59 percent and rising. Sir, even with the ramjet particle accelerators at maximum, radiation is beginning to seep through the outer hull,” said Mr. O’Brien.

“Understood. Comm, open ship’s channel. All personnel should move to the interior of the ship—away from the outer bulkhead. External radiation is reaching critical levels. Close channel.”

The final warning alert sounded, followed by Mr. O’Brien’s announcement, “Thirty seconds until collision, all hands brace for impact.”

Those who had not already done so, including Steven, fastened their harnesses. “Commander?” said Steven to Brooks in Section 2, with growing concern.

“We’re trying, sir. Gena’s safety protocols won’t validate the design.”

"Gena, implement Admiral’s Executive Priority One Protocols to remove all ship’s safety limiters. Password, Zechariah Sitchin,” said Steven. “Try it now, Commander."

“Radiation is still increasing,” said Jenkins with anxious concern.

“Strengthen the ramjet and shields by twenty percent,” ordered Steven.

“Sir, ramjet heat tolerance is already six percent over critical! And the shields are at maximum.”

“The safety limiters have been removed. Follow your orders, Jenkins. Now!”

“Aye, sir.”

“Shutting down main drives. Routing all available power to the mainframe auxiliary control in Section 2. Wave impacting in 7 seconds, 6—5—,” called Robbie on the helm.

Steven’s perceptions suddenly sped and time itself seemed to slow. He saw everything around him as if it were in slow motion.

It was then that he noticed that Jenkins was staring at him. The fear in the young man’s eyes was total and complete. Jenkins had been the childhood friend of the president’s son, and he had been traveling with the family when the transport picked them up in Rome fifteen years ago.

Initially, the Challenger Deep Sea Base was the staging area from which the Avenger would be launched. Over time, it became a town, a city. After the attack, they all came to think of it as home. Families were now the norm, not the exception.

As for Avenger, originally called Columbus, she was to be a planetary exploration vessel. While she was certainly capable of defending herself, her basic design was for that of scientific research.

"4—3—."

“Come on, Brooks!” whispered Steven.

“Shields are on-line!” Mr. O’Brien shouted.

The wave hit, the lights dimmed, the alarms sounded. The wave buffeted Avenger violently, more violently then anyone believed she was capable of enduring.

Renee, forgive me for not coming home to you,
thought Steven, his sadness overwhelming.
Ashlyn, I’m sorry.

***

To the sound of an explosion, Ashlyn ordered the activation of the suit’s dampener field. She smiled, comforted, as she felt the dampener activate. As innocuous as it was, she hoped the explosion was the signal for which she had been waiting. She simulated a roll, until she could feel gravity pulling her feet first. She waited, knowing that an impact was coming, but unsure of what to expect. No one had ever told her whether a water landing was similar to that of landing on land or not. Would it be gentle, or—?

The jolt wrenched her hard. She heard the sound of the splash, and her superheated suit interacted with the cold water. She mentally envisioned a plume of steam rising from the point where she had entered, not knowing if it was an accurate depiction. She had no idea how fast she had hit the surface or how deep she was. Would she sink, or would she float? Was the suit watertight? Did the nanotechnology have a sub-routine for a situation such as this? She didn’t know.

Within seconds, she heard the low-pitched hum of an approaching Sharkfin.

***

Even in what he believed to be the waning moments of his life, Steven searched for an avenue of escape. The warrior within him refused to surrender even when staring into the eyes of defeat. His determination induced his mind to release an enormous wave of adrenaline. The surge expanded his conscious mind a thousand fold. With profound clarity, he could see everything around him. He could see Avenger and the wave shaking her, and though he did not know what he could do to protect her, with every ounce of his being he
willed
for Avenger to survive.

***

Ashlyn winced as Steven’s sorrow-driven adrenaline stabbed her consciousness from across the depths of space. It stunned her as surely as if he had thrust a knife into her cerebral cortex.

From her world of darkness, Ash reached out, seeking the fringe of Steven’s mind. Through him, she saw Avenger’s turbulent shaking and loss of power. She saw the darkness engulf Steven, the ship’s gravity waning as Avenger’s structural integrity began to fail, torqued far beyond tolerance. She heard Avenger’s mournful wail that signaled her imminent death.

As the turbulence condemned him, Steven’s thoughts betrayed him. Ashlyn saw in his mind a collage of images, each attached to a heart wrenching emotion. She experienced them as if they were her own. She could feel Steven’s love for his wife and their shared moments of intimate happiness. She saw him laughing on the day they had been married and his eyes tearing during the birth of his children.

She saw everything about him, including the future that lay ahead of them—a vision of their destiny.

***

Such was the depth of his concentration that it took him a moment to realize that Ashlyn was standing beside him, watching him.
Ashlyn!
His heart sped. Seeing her standing beside him started a blazing fire within him. In her eyes, he saw a woman that was tenacious, intelligent, and compassionate. He also saw a twinkling calmness assuring him that everything was going to be all right.

“It looks as though I’ve been caught with my hand in the cookie jar,” she said with a sexy smile and hint of a laugh. “I apologize for my intrusion, but in your distress, your mind summoned me to you. First, let me say you have no need to fear for Avenger or the lives of your crew. Our destiny—yours and mine—is starting to become clearer to me. I have glimpsed certain future events that, for the time being, assure your safety. I believe this ability is one of the herculean gifts to which Tynabo alluded. I thank you for sharing Tynabo’s recording with me. Even that small glimpse of the man I called father has been a comfort.”

Then, in a tone that bespoke a more intimate connection between them, she said, “As regards us, these last weeks apart have been extremely difficult—as much for you as they are for me. So please know that you have not been alone in your suffering. In your mind I also saw your desire to know exactly what it is that has been happening to you, to us, each night. In short, what you see, I see. What you feel, I feel. The fugue is creating its own reality for us, albeit on a more esoteric plane. I think you will agree that there is nothing lost in the translation between the fugue—and a true physical reality. However, as Tynabo had warned us, it is becoming harder each day to hold on. Each day apart for us becomes more unbearable. Because of this growing need, I fear it will not be long before the fugue creates situations that would be quite embarrassing were they to happen in public. Because of this I ask you not to delay your return to Sea Base any longer than necessary.”

Her tone changed to one of sadness. “I am also aware of the personal hurdles that you face upon your return as regards to Renee and your family, and that you are in desperate need of a solution. I want you to know that you do not bear this burden alone. You have my full support on any decision that you make. It will always be so.”

Concluding, she said, “Until we meet again—sweet dreams.” As Ashlyn’s image dissipated, her sensual smile stole his breath.

***

As the wave subsided, Avenger was left dark and serenely quiet. His heart thumped out of his chest, and the sound of it seemed to fill the entire bridge. Though Ashlyn’s image was gone, he held the visualization of her firmly in his mind. He did not completely understand how she was able to speak with him, but he now knew that the dreams were much more than he had thought them to be.

The bridge suddenly lit up like Times Square on New Year’s Eve, chimes and klaxons sounding everywhere. Nearly every instrument panel returned to life flashing a "System is Off-Line” alert.

Chief Preston entered through the bridge doors. “Sorry for the scare, Admiral. Our shields were collapsing, so I turned off most of the ship’s internal systems and routed the power to the shields.”

“Well, it did the job. Good work, Chief!”

“Actually, it wasn’t enough, sir. Not nearly.”

“I’m not following you,” said Steven.

“There was a massive energy surge that encompassed the whole ship. It only lasted a minute or so, but somehow, it reinforced the shields. It flat lined after the wave passed. It’s the strangest thing I’ve ever seen!”

“Where did the surge come from?”

“I have a team looking into it, Admiral. I’ll keep you informed.”

“Do what you can to track it down, Chief. Or I just might send you to bed without dinner tonight.”

“Wouldn’t want that. The galley is serving fish sticks tonight!” said Chief Preston with the exaggerated laugh of a man who had expected to die.

“The galley serves fish sticks every night!” said Steven as he came to realize in this moment of lightheartedness that it had been far too long since he had laughed.

“All stations, status report,” ordered Steven.

“Damage Control is doing a micro-fracture scan of the entire hull. Estimated time until completion is approximately six hours,” said Jenkins.

“Long range scans are all clear, sir,” reported the radar operator. “The flagship is either gone or hidden behind the sun.”

The report from Mr. O’Brien came next. “Shields are down. Energy reserves are steady at .08 percent. Life support is non-operational until we have accumulated a 4 percent reserve. Most decks are dark. I recommend deploying the solar collectors until we can re-engage the Bussard scoop. With life support down, it is going to get mighty chilly in here. Gena’s calculations show that a stationary orbit about the sun at 14.3 million kilometers distance will negate the cold and give us maximum input to the fuel cells. We’ll need twelve hours to recharge the mains and an additional two for the reserves.”

“Very good,” said Steven. “Helm, follow Mr. O’Brien’s instructions and be sure to keep the sun between us and the flagship’s last known position. Jenkins, how did we do with the radiation?”

“That’s the strange part, sir,” responded Jenkins. “The numbers don’t make sense. Outside, we are glowing like the aurora borealis, but inside, there is almost nothing. I think it’s because of the energy surge that Chief Preston was talking about. Somehow, it repelled the radiation. It’s really a stroke of luck that we’re alive.”

“Sometimes, luck is all we have,” responded Steven. “Start the external scrubbers when they come back on-line.”

Avenger’s med team entered onto the bridge, checking everyone out.

“How’s the crew?” Steven asked the nurse nearest him.

“No casualties. A few broken ribs from the containment fields. A broken arm or two, one concussion. Not bad, considering. Are you all right, sir?” the nurse asked with genuine concern. “You’re really flushed.”

“I’m fine. A bit tired. Nothing a little sleep won’t fix.” Steven wiped away a layer of beaded sweat from his brow with the sleeve of his uniform. In truth, he felt ready to collapse.

The bridge doors opened as Brooks and Casey returned. Steven spun his chair around. “Cut it kind of close, didn't you?”

“Actually, we didn't know if it was going to work at all. That trick of yours to disable Gena’s safety-protocols took us a bit off-guard. Even the Chief didn't know about that one,” said Brooks with a heavy plop into his seat.

“Neither did I," said Steven in reply. "I just hoped Gena would obey an executive command, even if it did go counter to her programing.”

Brooks’ mouth stretched into a broad grin. “So, what are we doing about the flagship?”

“There isn’t much we can do until we recharge. My guess is that she’s dead. Nevertheless, I doubt she was able to escape the effects of the energy field dampening mines attached to her hull and still have the energy to formulate a jump. But if she did, tomorrow, when we’re up to full power, I’ll chase her all the way into Hell if I have to!”

“Do you think Enlil is aboard the flagship?”

“I don’t think so. The strategy they used was sound. They held back and let the fleet approach. But, I think Enlil is too arrogant to have held back. First, he had no reason to believe that anyone was alive. Next, he thinks we are too inferior to be a threat. So, no. I don’t think so. It was more the actions of a commander following protocol.”

“Sir?” Mr. O’Brien stood before Steven looking as bewildered as a lost cat. “Sir, when we took the shields off-line, how did you know with such certainty that we weren’t going to have a hull breach?”

A grin lit Steven’s face. “I didn’t! I’m just a lucky liar!”