"This Present Darkness"

[CaptainSDavies 0]

“This Present Darkness”

Davies’ Logs

May 17, 2397

0509.17

 

 

Simeon was thankful to see familiar faces. His Chief Engineer was with him along with Ensign Murray, recently returned from a tour of duty on Pax Primus. Dr. Levy was nearby attending the unconscious President Swaggart. The comfort, however, was short lived.

 

A short distance away one of the interior overhangs crumbled, dropped, and smashed into the ground. The screams of those coming to the momentary realization that their lives were ending were drowned out by the deafening roar of the structure pummeling everything in its path and finally striking the ground.

 

A thick oily black smoke aimlessly oozed through the air and the walls of fire were beginning to crash like waves indiscriminately onto what had not yet been charred. The shouts of orders turned into moans of despair, screams of agony, as if the VDC had become the entrance to hell itself. Simeon, having seen a glimpse of the exit shortly before the collapse near him, could now only walk, like a blind man, with his arms outstretched.

 

“Javin…Desdemona!” Simeon cried out, but no one answered him. It was then Simeon realized that he must try to get out, no matter what the physical cost. Summoning what courage he had to spare, Simeon began to move faster toward what he judged as the exit. The jagged edges of rubble and the uneven floor made worse by the remains of those already dead caused him to stumble and sometimes fall, but each time he rose and moved forward, determined.

 

After what seemed like eons, Simeon began to see daylight, a sight that spurred him on even more. He had reached the lobby, the main corridor, and he felt almost free when it happened. If he had not glanced up, Simeon probably would not have survived. What he noticed was the imminent collapse of a large portion of the lobby ceiling.

 

In a moment of panic, he dove under another fallen piece of structure, thus hoping to preserve him from the brunt of the collapsing ceiling. The gap was barely small enough to fit his entire body, nevertheless, he was able to cover his head and pull his legs close, somewhat resembling the fetal position.

 

As he had suspected, the ceiling would fall. It fell with such a tremendous force that the structure he had used for protection had to give way, pinning Simeon to the ground. The force of the weight caused him to grimace, and for a moment he thought he might be able to move. After a few moments, the harsh reality set in…he was trapped.